With Fur There Is Love
by DarkKing427-FluffKing
Summary: Given a second chance to make himself more than just a popsicle hustler, Nick thinks of a way to make it up to the one that started it all. But when their so called dinner turns into something else entirely, Nick works to turn their police partnership and overall friendship into something more personal. Editor: AtlasWolfActual. Credit goes to n09142 on Deviantart for cover image!
1. Cleaning The House

**A/N: This is my first ever Zootopia Fanfiction. I loved the movie since it came out, and I decided to give Zootopia fanfiction a go! I hope you all like what I have to share with you and let's get into it! Thank you, and enjoy! Credit goes to n09142 on Deviantart for the cover image! And I'd also like to give credit to my wonderful beta reader and editor, AtlasWolfActual!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Disney or Zootopia or it's characters, and I respect the copyrights.**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!**

* * *

 **With Fur There Is Love**

 _ **Chapter 1: Cleaning The House**_

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day in the city of Zootopia. Nine months had passed since Dawn Bellwether was put away, the city was growing much more peacefully as prey and predator got along with each other once more. Nick Piberius Wilde had completed his ZPD academy training, and earned his ZPD badge. The former con-animal gained a lot of fame and recognition for saving the city from a genocide of predators, alongside with Judy Laverne Hopps. The optimistic rabbit had helped Nick through his entire police training, getting him used to daily calls, making arrests, and patrolling. Nick didn't like patrolling by himself, but when he was with Judy, it made him a lot better.

As the clock read 12 PM, Nick and Judy were finished with an early morning patrol shift, and exited out of the doors of the Zootopia Police Department. A whole afternoon of relaxation was needed for both officers.

"That was an exciting shift," Nick commented, fixing his tie as Judy nudged him in the shoulder.

"It was, those three wolves were quite fast, but you got them taken down!" she said enthusiastically, winking at Nick, who chuckled.

"Yea, they sure tested my energy," he smirked. "I'm kind of hungry, you want to go for some lunch?" Nick asked, pointing at a food vendor down the sidewalk. Judy looked and saw it. It was a fruit smoothie vendor, selling fruit smoothies, and sandwiches.

"Sure, Nick, let's go," she answered, the two walking up to the vendor. The vendor was a male otter.

"Hello, there, Nick and Judy!" the otter greeted them with a salute. "What could I get you two today?" he then said, pulling out a flip notebook and a pen. Nick and Judy studied the menu for a couple seconds.

"I'll take a blueberry smoothie with the triple meat sandwich," Nick said, pulling out his wallet.

"And I'll take the falafel sandwich with the blueberry smoothie as well," Judy said, reaching into her pockets to pull out her wallet, but Nick stopped her.

"No, I'll pay for it," Nick smiled and pulled out a 10 dollar bill. Judy smiled and put her wallet back in her pockets.

"Thank you, Nick," she answered as Nick eyed her before handing the otter the 10 dollars. Within a few minutes, their food was ready, and the otter brought out their meal. He found them in a small pavilion nearby.

"Have a good day, you two!" the otter exclaimed as Nick waved in return. Finding a small table, they sat across from each other.

"So how are you doing today?" Judy asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich. Nick sipped from his blueberry smoothie.

"I'm doing good, I heard that there's a party at 2 PM to celebrate another crime boss going down?" the fox asked as Judy nodded.

"Yes, there is! Ben and Chief Bogo are hosting it at the office, you going?" she asked, drinking her blueberry smoothie. Nick sighed, eating more of his sandwich. "What's wrong?" she then said, looking at Nick.

"No, I actually can't go. My mother was admitted into the hospital last night. Apparently, she had a heart attack or something last night, and I want to visit her again today to make sure she's OK." Nick answered, a tear visible from his eyes. Judy saw this, got up, and gave Nick a hug from behind.

"Aww, I'm so sorry about that, Nick," she said, letting go of him after a few seconds. Nick felt better, hugging helps. "I'll tell Bogo you can't make it then. Go visit your mother, she is your priority now." she added. Nick smiled, continuing to eat with her.

"Luckily, she was okay enough to go back home this morning," Nick sighed gratefully. "I don't know what I'd do without my mother. She the only real family I got, besides my dad."

Judy wiped her lips with a napkin. "You've never told me about your father. What's he like?"

Nick slowly shook his head. "Maybe another time. Sorry Judy!"

Judy shrugged. "I understand," she said as she took another bite of her sandwich.

As they finished their meal, Nick was about to head off to the parking garage to get his car before Judy stopped him.

"Wait! Nick!" she shouted as Nick stopped in his footsteps and ran back up to Judy.

"What is it?" he asked. Judy had a faint blush on her cheeks, but he didn't notice.

"Well, since you won't be able to make it to the party, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out at your house for dinner?" she asked in a fast manner, tapping her foot on the concrete. Nick blushed at her question.

"You-you want to visit my house?" he stuttered, managing to hide his blush.

"Yes, Nick, I do. I want this celebration to be special, we saved the city again," she answered, smiling while she playfully nudged Nick. He smiled.

"Sure thing, Carrots. After I visit my mother, I'll prepare the house for you," he answered.

"Alright, dumb fox. Give me a call when you're ready, alright?" she asked. Nick nodded.

"Sure thing, sly bunny," he smirked, heading out to the parking garage. He got inside his red convertible, and drove to his mother's house. Her home was a bit of ways from the urban parts of Savannah Central, south of the Animalia Lane subway line.

His mother was the only real family he had left, and she was his emotional compass throughout his own life. Ever since Nick's parents' marriage fell apart, she mainly stayed with him a lot of his life. Nick didn't know how he could live without her. She was the nicest woman and a great mother.

* * *

Driving onto the driveway of a small, two story house, Nick stepped out of his car. The house had a beautiful flower garden lining the walkways, and the walls of the house bright and colorful, with the windows open slightly.

Nick walked up the steps to the front door, and rang the doorbell. The fragrant aroma from the flowers filled his nose. His eyes spotted movement in the house and peered in through the window. He smiled upon seeing his mother approach the door, and she opened it.

She was about his height, had the same facial features as him, the only differences being her mouth and eyes. Nick's mother was a very important piece in his life. His mother was there for him everyday, and supported each decision he made. Nick was very thankful that she was his mother.

"Nick, you're here!" she said happily, hugging her son, Nick doing the same. They stood there for a few minutes before Nick stepped inside the house.

"Hi, Mom. I just got back from my shift this morning," he said, pocketing his aviators. Walking to the living room, which was lined with windows, the sun shining through, and a TV mounted on the wall, they sat down across from each other in chairs.

"Did something happen on your shift? Your arms look quite scratched," his mother pointed at his arms, and they were scratched up, a few cuts across the width of his arm.

"We had three thieves who stole from the Natural History Museum, and I had to tackle them down," Nick explained, covering up his arms with the sleeves of his police uniform. "How is your heart doing?" he then asked. His mother showed him the medical paperwork.

"They looked at my heart, and it turned out to be an anxiety attack," she answered, looking away from Nick.

"What caused you to have anxiety?" Nick asked, grabbing himself a glass of water as well as another one for his mother. He handed one of the glasses to her as he carefully drank from his own.

"Last night, your father left a voicemail, and he said a lot of hateful things about me!" she cried out, covering her eyes with her hands. A few tears leaked through her fingers. Nick looked at her in sadness. He stood up, walked over to her, put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Mother, don't worry. I'm pretty sure everything hateful he said to you in that voicemail, i-it wasn't true, mom," he paused, grabbing tissues from a nearby box of them and wiping the tears off her face. She sniffed, and uncovered her eyes.

"Thank you, Nick," she said happily, her crying slowing to sniffling. "I just don't want him to hurt you," she added.

"I know, mother, I know. I'll make sure it never happens," he answered, sitting down in his chair. "I can't believe that fox sometimes!"

"What do you do as a ZPD officer?" his mother asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, there are a lot of things I do. Some days I do patrols around the city, investigate a wide variety of violations, and some days I stay in the offices closing up cases," he answered, fiddling around with his tie.

"What do you want to be in the future as a ZPD officer?" she then said. Nick thought to himself for a moment.

"I really want to be the person that interrogates suspects. My sly nature would do a great job at it, and I would nail suspects every time," Nick chuckled as his mother smiled. He checked his watch, and it read 2 PM.

"Mother, I got to get going soon, I got to prepare my house for Judy," he said as his mother looked at him.

"Who is Judy, Nick?" she asked.

"Judy is my partner in the ZPD," he answered, showing her a selfie of them together. "We have been very best friends since I met her. She helped through a lot of my heartbreak, and we both saved Zootopia from Bellwether and the Nighthowlers." he added, smiling. His mother looked at him again.

"Son, that is wonderful, I'm glad she is your friend," she said, giving him back the photo.

"You're not mad? I thought you'd be since I'm friends with a prey," Nick said with confusion.

"No, Nick, I'm not mad at all. I've been friends with a rabbit growing up in high school," she answered, smiling. Nick felt a lot at ease from her support. "Have fun with her, Nick. I wish you good luck," she added, hugging him tightly. "I love you son," she said.

"I love you too, mother," Nick answered, smiling as they held each other for a few moments before Nick let go and went to the front door. "Take care of yourself. If he calls you again-," he trailed off when his mom held up a paw.

"I'll be fine. You just stay safe and have a good night with your friend," she said with a kiss on the cheek.

He blushed as he stepped outside and got in his car and began to drive away from his mother's house.

He drove further east towards the other side of the peninsula. Before getting home, he made a pit stop at the local market and got all the supplies he would need for the evening dinner. He arrived at his two story house around 3 PM, and stopped to admire the beautiful home he lived in.

* * *

With the money he earned from his former con artist life, he was able to buy a beautiful house a little ways from the beachfront. His house had an upstairs and a basement, the outside of his house being a bright blue, with a black roof. Many windows lined the walls, and a patio stood near the front door. After parking the car, he frantically hauled all the groceries inside and began to cleanse the main floor top to bottom.

After a few hours of cleaning excessively, the clock read 5 PM. Nick rushed to the clean kitchen to make dinner. With a clean kitchen, he could cook more efficiently. He opened his refrigerator, and grabbed all sorts of fruits out of it; most of them were from Judy's family farm.

Closing the refrigerator door, he took out a giant bowl, and began slicing all of the fruit very slowly. Last time he tried to make dinner for himself, he cut himself when he chopped too fast, so he decided he'd only go slowly when slicing up food.

He layered the bottom of the bowl with slices of bananas, and then with raspberries. Cubing a watermelon, he carefully set the cubes on top of the raspberries to keep them balanced. He then layered mulberries, strawberries, and to top it all off, a heavy layer of blueberries, Nick's favorite. He smirked dumping all of the blueberries on top of all the fruits in the bowl. For Judy, she really likes blueberries, but her absolute favorite were mulberries, so he kept a ton extra for Judy.

He sealed the bowl with foil and put the entire thing in the refrigerator, and loaded his dishwasher. Next was to prepare the dining room, which was very elegant. Freshly painted walls, polished hardwood flooring, and a modern black dining table. Using a blue tablecloth and some flowers, he decorated the dining room and table. Lighting a candle in the center of the room, and setting down plates, bowls, drinking glasses, and silverware.

By the time he was finished, it was almost 6 PM. Sitting down on the couch, he dialed Judy's number. Within a few seconds of ringing, Judy answered.

 _"Hey, Nick! How's it going?" Judy said, voices and footsteps audible in the call._

 _"I'm doing good! What did you do today?" Nick asked, fixing his collar._

 _"I went shopping in Downtown and bought myself an outfit for tonight," she answered. "By the way, how is your mother doing?"_

 _"She's doing very well, however, someone left her an angry voicemail which put her in a down mood," Nick answered, a tear dripping from his eye. He sniffed._

 _"Aww, I'm so sorry to hear that Nick," she sighed. "I'll be at your house in about two hours since I'm still in Downtown, is that OK?"_

 _"That'd be perfect! See you at 8 PM!" Nick exclaimed._

 _"Bye, Nick!" she quickly answered, hanging up the phone._

Nick shoved his phone in his pocket and an idea came to his head. Since he had a lot of extra mulberries, he figured he could use them to make a pie. Rushing to the kitchen, he quickly grabbed out the ingredients he needed, and went straight to work.

Nick absolutely loved to cook and bake since he was about 10 years old. All of the memories he shared baking cookies or making dinner with his mother, he loved to make food. Something about cooking and baking helped relieve him of stress when he was going through hard times, and it eased him.

He chilled the pie dough he needed, and got the pan ready for it. 30 minutes later, he was ready to start making the pie. Mixing all the ingredients, he poured the mixture into the chilled pie dough inside the pan. He then put it in the freezer to give the dough and pie filling time to set. 15 minutes went by before he threw it into the oven.

"Whew!" he sighed. "I thought I wasn't going to get it done in time."

About 45 minutes had passed before the oven dinged, signaling that it was finished. He got his hot pads and carefully set it down on the window sill to let it cool. Nick then took the remaining time to clean up his mess, to take a shower and change into a nice dress shirt with khaki pants, and to catch up on his favorite television series.

About half an hour into the episode, Nick could hear a car pull into the driveway and he quickly shut the TV off. With excitement and grace, he jumped over the couch and looked through the blinds. Judy was just stepping out of her car but didn't notice Nick in the window.

Nick looked at himself in a mirror and frantically fixed his hair, a little fuzz was sprouting at the top. "Okay, Nicky, you can do this. It's just a little get together, nothing more," he said confidently to himself in the mirror. At that moment, Judy began knocking on the door. Nick froze.

"Confidence is gone," he exclaimed. Nick approached the door and looked through the peephole. Judy stood before his very eye, waiting patiently for Nick to open the door. Nick acquired all the confidence and bravery he could, as he clutched the door handle and began to open the door.


	2. Hidden Love

**With Fur There Is Love**

 _ **Chapter 2: Hidden Love**_

* * *

Nick opened the door and felt a light breeze roll in. But he didn't even care enough to notice it as much as the stunning figure that stood before him.

"Hello, Judy!" he said loud and clear, happiness in his voice. Nick was mesmerized by Judy's appearance.

Judy was wearing a light blue cocktail dress, a gold necklace, along with a smile on her face. She had her paws behind her back, her ears perked up. She stared at Nick, who was blushing, with dazzling violet eyes.

"Hey, Nick! Why are you blushing?" she giggled, winking at him. Nick shook his head and got out of his trance.

"Well, you look very beautiful, Carrots," Nick smirked as Judy blushed at his statement. "I guess I got mesmerized."

"Why thank you, sly fox," she replied, smiling. "You don't look to bad, if I say so myself."

"Thanks. Please, step inside, it must be freezing out there," Nick chuckled as Judy stepped inside the door, and Nick shut it. He just couldn't take his eyes off of that dress. "Did you spend your entire years salary to get that dress? It's beautiful!"

Judy blushed slightly. "Thanks, it was on sale and I thought I'd look good in it."

"Forget good, you look stunning!" Nick said confidently.

"Aww, you really think so!" said Judy, blushing brighter than before.

Nick nodded proudly. "I really do."

Judy smiled widely. "Nick, I'd like to give you something special," Judy said, holding out a small box in her paws. Nick stared at the box, and then took it into his paws, opening it. His eyes widened in excitement seeing the contents of the box.

"A carrot pen," he whispered taking the pen out of the box and holding it in his paw. Curiosity plagued him as he pressed the replay button, hoping to hear a recorded message. There was.

 _"To Nick, my best friend and fox. Love, Judy."_ the recording was of Judy's voice, with Nick's face lighting up. Without thinking, Nick set down the carrot pen, and hugged Judy in his arms. Judy was surprised at his quick gesture of affection, and blushed.

"Thank you very much, Carrots. I love it!" he cried out again, carefully letting go of Judy. She smiled at him. "It totally reminds me of the day we met. You know? Popsicle hustling."

"You're welcome, Nick," she winked. Nick put the carrot pen back in the box, and smiled at Judy. "I just saw it at the store today and thought of you."

Nick placed a paw in the center of his chest. "That's very kind and thoughtful of you." He held up his paws. "I wish I had something to give back in return.

"It's what good friends do," Judy shrugged as she waved her paw. "And you made dinner for us tonight so you don't have to get me anything."

"Speaking of which, shall we go eat dinner?" he suggested, remembering the purpose of the evening. "I took my time on this delicacy."

"Yes, Nick, let's go," she answered as the two made their way to the table. Judy was mesmerized at how clean his house was. She was even more amazed at how the dinner table looked. The candle in the center giving off the sweet smell of blueberries.

"Nick, this is amazing, it's so nicely cleaned, and it smells great in here!" she complimented as Nick smiled.

"Thanks! I spent two hours cleaning and I was impressed when I saw it too. I can actually keep a tidy home," he said with a smirk at Judy.

Judy laughed. "I actually, no offense, thought it was gonna be a mess. I'm glad I was proved wrong. You tidy up pretty well."

"Hey, not everyone gets to live in a home as clean as a doctors office," Nick retorted happily as he pulled out Judy's seat for her, and she sat down. After he had his partner settled, he went into the kitchen and grabbed the fruit salad bowl out of the refrigerator, and made sure to leave the tin foil on.

"What's for dinner?" Judy then asked. Nick smiled, walking into the dining room with the fruit salad. He then scooped some of the fruit salad into Judy's bowl, her face being mesmerized by the many bright colors of the fruit, as well as the amount of blueberries.

"Only the best for the best am I right?" Nick asked rhetorically as he pulled off the foil. "Tonight we feast upon bananas, raspberries, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, and your favorite, mulberries," Nick answered as Judy found many mulberries in her bowl. "In other words, we be having some fruit salad."

"Yay, my favorite berry! How did you know?" Judy laughed lightly as Nick smirked.

"I overheard you talking earlier about something with you liking mulberries, so I decided to try it out," he answered honestly, helping himself to a serving of the fruit. Taking a bite of blueberries, he hummed in delight of the taste. "And I love blueberries too." he chuckled. Judy took a bite of her fruit salad, getting in a couple mulberries and blueberries.

"This is delicious, Nick! This fruit is so fresh! Did you get the fruit from the farmers market in Bunny Burrow?" she asked, taking another bite of fruit. Nick nodded his head.

"I purchased some of the fruit from a farmers market near my mother's house," he said, taking a whole bite of blueberries. He swallowed, and wiped his face. Judy's ears perked up. "The rest I actually had shipped from your parents farm."

Judy gasped at that. "You managed to get my parents to send fruits to the city. They have never done that before. How did you do it?"

Nick snickered. "Let's just say I mentioned you in the whole exchange and they melted like popsicles. They sold me a bundle of whatever I wanted." He sported an overconfident look on his face. "Literally, the fridge in my garage is filled with fruits and veggies from your parents farm."

"That's crazy!" said Judy as she took another bite of her fruit salad. "Well, hats off to you Mr. Wilde. You did a good thing," she praised. "Hey, how is your mother doing? And who left that voicemail?" she asked, looking at Nick's eyes. He stopped and put down his utensils, closing his eyes.

"Do you really want to know?" Nick asked seriously. He looked intently into Judy's violet eyes. A clash on clash of green and violet eyes.

Judy shuddered at Nick's emerald, green eyes and slowly nodded. "I would like to know. You seemed distressed earlier so I figured I'd help clear things up." Nick nodded in understanding.

"Very well," he sighed as he cleared his throat. "Growing up as a young pup, my mother and father fought all the time," he started, sighing. Judy's eyes widened. She never knew about his father, so she was interested to know more about him. "It seemed like they fought 24/7 and poor little me didn't know why they fought until it was explained earlier."

"That's horrible," Judy gasped. "I feel so sorry for you."

"We don't talk a whole lot now ever since my parents divorced when I was only nine," he continued, slowly eating more of his fruit. "I didn't want them to break up but I couldn't do anything because I didn't understand why they did what they did."

Judy felt concerned for Nick. His parents' divorce must have been a hard time for him. "Was the voicemail on your mom's answering machine from your father?" she asked. Nick nodded.

"Yes, he is constantly trying to make it up to her, but he somehow keeps insulting her on how he thinks she's not a good mother," he sighed. "He doesn't think I should be hanging out with prey animals especially because of the bad rap sheet my species gets," he continued. Judy was shocked.

"Why?" she asked, her paw slightly shaking as she took a bite of fruit. They didn't taste as juicy and sweet like before. They felt bland and boring, the worst part of any bunch.

"He doesn't even respect that I'm a cop. He thinks that I would do better at being a lawyer or an accountant, but I didn't find any interest in those jobs," he answered partly. "He also thinks prey and predator animals don't go well together." he finished as Judy eyes widened and stared at Nick.

"Nick, you're my best friend and my partner in the ZPD, and prey and predator animals have hang out with each other for a long, long time! It's practically its own culture here in Zootopia. Your father is just refusing to accept that you're an adult. His mind is still living in the past, when prey and predator hated each other," she answered as Nick growled.

"Accept it or not, I wish he didn't judge me so negatively on what I do," he said harshly, taking a big bite of watermelon. "And I swear if he thinks of talking that way with my mother again, I swear on my last breath, I'll…I'll-," he threatened as Judy stopped him.

She sighed and fumbled around for the right words to say. "Don't worry, Nick. You'll get through this, I promise," she answered, smiling at him, which caused Nick to smile in return. He felt better that Judy was here with him. "In fact, if he gets word that he put your mother in the hospital, he'll see that his words really can hurt someone."

"Thank you, Carrots," he said happily. "And I hope you're right. Maybe my dad can change his antics." The two continued to stare into each other's eyes and started smiling at one another. They continued to eat their delicious meal, as Nick finished his a couple minutes before Judy did.

"Do you have anything to drink?" Judy asked, eating more of the mulberries and banana in her fruit salad. "My throat feels a little dry."

"I can make mulberry juice real quick," Nick answered. Judy's mouth gaped open.

"I'd love some! Make it, now!" she ordered happily as Nick smirked and went into his kitchen. Grabbing out of the food processor, he dumped all the excess mulberries into it and turned the processor on. It gave off a loud buzzing sound as it turned the mulberries into a mulch.

After a few minutes, all the mulberries were grounded into juice. Turning off the food processor, he poured all the juice into a colander to get the seeds and excess skin out, and then poured the juice into a pitcher. Before taking it to the dining table, he grabbed two wine glasses out of a cupboard.

He poured the juice into the two wine glasses, and handed one to her. He set the pitcher aside and sat back down at the table. He picked up his juice glass, and held it up towards Judy, who did the same.

"To the ZPD, for saving the city from yet again, another crime boss," he said stoically as Judy was able to meet Nick's glass with hers. They clinked, and then took a sip. Judy sighed at the delicious taste of the juice.

"This is so delicious, Nick! I want more!" she cried, downing her entire glass of juice. Nick laughed as he picked up the pitcher and poured more juice into her glass.

"Thanks!" he chuckled. "I made it by accident one day and it turned out to be one of my favorite drinks."

"Well, thanks for having an accident, Nick," Judy laughed at Nick. "Where did you say you got the fruits again? I mean aside from my parents farm."

"I got them from a farmers market near my mothers. Want me to give you the address?" he smiled as he also downed his entire glass of juice. Nick walked into the kitchen, wrote down the address, and he handed her the slip of paper with the address on it. Thanking him, she slipped it into her wallet. Looking at the time, it was already 9:30 PM.

"Nick, I have to go at 11:00 PM," she said, pointing at the clock. Nick's eyes widened.

"Oh, yea, that's OK! Since we have time, I actually have a surprise for you," he said, going into the kitchen. Judy cocked her head in interest. He then came back with the pie in his paws, and set it down on the table.

"Mulberry pie," Nick said happily, taking a slice out and putting it on a plate for Judy. She took her fork, and took a bite. Her eyes widened, humming sweetly at the taste of the pie. She wiped her face of mulberries.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" she shouted, eating more of her pie slice. Nick chuckled, taking a bite of his. He too had the same reaction. "The berries were very tasty and the crust was very flakey. Very delicious, nice work!"

"You're right, this is delicious," he smiled, taking another bite and savoring it's flavor. Once he had eaten his slice, Nick packaged up some of the pie for Judy to take home with her. "The pie will go bad if you keep it at room temperature for too long, because the fruit won't hold up that long. So get it in a fridge as soon as you possible," he added as he put it in the refrigerator. He then looked at the clock again. It was 9:45 PM.

"What should we do until I have to go home?" Judy asked as Nick looked at her, then at his TV in his living room. It was a 60 inch HD Flatscreen.

"Want to watch a movie?" he asked. "I got the right size TV for it."

"Sure, what movies do you have?" she said, walking over to his TV and then sitting down on the couch. Nick looked on his bookshelf in the living room for a movie. He pulled one off the shelf.

"You want to watch a family friendly comedy?" Nick asked, showing her the cover of "The IncrediBulls". She walked up to the bookshelf and found no relative interest in the other flicks.

"Sure, why not?" she said as Nick walked over to the DVD player and put the movie in. However, Judy accidentally bumped into him when she tried to get around him to get back on the couch. She lost her balance, and stumbled backward, hitting her head on the corner of a coffee table. Her body went limp as she fell aimlessly to the carpet. She shut her eyes in pain, putting her paws to the back of her head.

Nick saw this, and dropped the DVD case, rushing down to Judy. "Judy! Are you OK?" he gasped, frantically lifting her paws from her head to see if the spot was bleeding.

"Nick? Nick! Am I bleeding!?" she cried, her eyes tearing up a bit. Nick sighed in relief to see no blood. He immediately hugged her tight into his arms.

"Shh, shh, it's OK, Judy, it's OK. There's no bleeding, it's OK," he said sweetly, holding her tight. She buried her head into his shirt, soaking it with some tears. Nick didn't care at all that his shirt was soaked, he cared that Judy was safe and secure.

"Thank you Nick," she said into his shirt, the voice being muffled. Nick smiled as they held each other in embrace for a few minutes. Judy was shaking a little and Nick held her even tighter. After she stopped shaking, Nick gently lifted her up on the couch and set her down softly.

"I got to use the bathroom real quick," he said before leaving the living room. Judy sniffed and waited until Nick was out of sight. She went over to the box where the carrot pen was in, took it out, and recorded a message for Nick.

It took her a few attempts to get the message right, since her headache kept bothering her. Before Nick was finished in the bathroom, she returned the pen and perked her ears. Nick was flushing the toilet. She jumped back on the couch as he came out.

"Carrots, what did you do?" he asked sternly, staring at her. Judy's eyes looked around, her mouth fumbling for words.

"Uh, uhmm… I was trying to relax the pulsing headache in my head and maybe trying to steal some of that pie," she lied, twiddling her thumbs. Nick smiled.

"Sly bunny, I knew you loved my baking and cooking," he chuckled, sitting down on the couch next to her. She giggled, playfully punching him in the arm. Nick laughed, turning on the TV and hitting the play button at the menu for The IncrediBulls.

The movie then began, for Nick was excited to see Judy's reaction to the hilariousness he witnessed in the movie. And sure enough, he was excited.

Judy laughed a lot during the movie's many fight scenes, and comedic speeches. Though her personal favorite scene was the wedding, she was shedding a tear of joy seeing the guy and girl bull get married.

"They look so happy together," she said, a tear sliding down her face. Nick smiled and look down at her.

"It's what a marriage is, carrots. You spend the rest of your life with the love of your dreams," he said, smirking at Judy who smiled sweetly at him. As the movie dragged on, Judy started to feel her eyelids grow heavy. She opened her mouth in a yawn as it became an overwhelming struggle to stay awake. Eventually, she lost her sense of awareness and fell asleep on Nick's shoulder.

Nick looked down at her sleeping and smiled. Instead of moving her, he decided to let her stay. Besides, it's not every day you get to have a cute bunny sleep on your shoulder. When the movie ultimately ended, it was almost 11:00 PM, and Judy was still asleep. "Hey, Judy, wake up," he said softly as Judy's eyes opened.

"What?" she said groggily. "What time is it? What happened?"

"It's almost 11, and you fell asleep on my shoulder," Nick responded, chuckling as Judy smiled.

"I did, you dumb fox? I must say, your fur is really soft," Judy answered, glancing coyly at the fox, causing Nick's cheeks to redden. She giggled seeing Nick blush, for she thought it was cute.

"Nice one, sly bunny," he said in return, getting up to turn off the TV. Judy got up a little slower to get ready to go home. Her head was still pulsing with discomfort but it quickly subsided. Nick remembered the pieces of pie he had wrapped for her and quickly retrieved them. That's when he noticed the carrot pen box. It had been touched.

"Goodbye, Nick," she said walking out the door, but Nick stopped her and handed her the pie slices.

"I'll walk out to the car with you," he offered as he took her paw and walked out of the house.

Judy shivered. "It's a little cold out tonight," she mumbled. "I should have brought a jacket."

Nick instinctively wrapped his arm around her and shared his body heat. "By the way, what were you doing with the box? I saw it was opened," he asked, glancing back at the house. Judy chuckled and blushed.

"You'll see, you sly fox," she said sweetly as she got into her car and began slowly driving away.

Nick watched her back out of the driveway but the nagging curiosity ate at his mind. "What did she put on that pen, I wonder?" He quickly rushed inside and grabbed the pen and stared at it. The smooth orange and green plastic felt new and fresh. Nick looked up at Judy's car from the doorway of his home. She was now a few blocks away, seeing her turn right on a side street and disappearing from sight.

Now Nick's green eyes were both on the pen. Interest kicked in and he clicked the button on the pen. _"Tonight was really fun. We should do this again. Love, Judy."_ Nick's mouth dropped at the recording as he came to the realization that he and Judy were just on a date. And she wanted to go on another one.

Nick continued to replay the recording again and again. He wanted to be sure that was what she meant. Her voice sounded differently each time he played it, like his mind was playing tricks on him. Soon though, it became clearer and clearer that Judy meant every word in that recording.

With the thought of Judy wanting to go out again, Nick prepared himself for bed. He lazily tossed his clothes in a dirty clothes basket and changed into a pair of loose shorts. He tucked himself into bed, snuggling under the covers, when the thought finally hit him.

 _"Did I just go on a date with the girl of my dreams?"_ he thought to himself, closing his eyes. _"Yes I did."_ he then thought, smiling in his sleep.


	3. A Word Of Advice

**A/N: Just so everyone knows, I have decided to give Wolford a first name, Justin. I decided this would help clear up confusion with him between other characters. Anyways, onto Chapter 3!**

* * *

With Fur There Is Love

 _Chapter 3: A Word Of Advice_

* * *

Once every three months in Downtown Zootopia, it was a tradition to have a carnival on the last Friday of that third month. There would be all sorts of skill based and rigged games, food, and Zootopia's largest Ferris wheel. Citizens from around the city swarmed the carnival, as the hosts constantly changed out some of the games and rides. A cheeky and effective plan to get more visitors and more paper in their pockets.

Nick had been wanting to ask Judy to go to the carnival with him ever since the last time he went. He felt they would both have an amazing time together at the carnival. He saw a lot of great prizes he wanted to win at the games, and he also saw some that he thought Judy would love to win as well. But he just couldn't find a way to ask her. Every time he'd walk up to her and try to ask, he'd be at a loss for words and he couldn't ask. Nick was scared she'd say no, but ever since Judy confessed to him that she'd like to go on another date that one night, Nick received a huge boost of confidence, and he decided that he would ask her on the day of the carnival.

Since noon, Nick and Judy were working in the office, finishing paperwork of the three thieves they captured from the Natural History Museum, as well as other cases. They also recently dealt with an attempted arson at the Jumbeaux Cafe, and a robbery of a local ATM machine near a flower shop. The arson suspect was taken into custody, but as for the robber, however, he was shot dead on the scene, trying to injure fellow officers.

However, there was a hint of a second perpetrator seen with the ATM robber, seen at a distance away from the robber. It looked as if this person was serving as a lookout. Sadly, this unknown suspect fled from the scene upon police arrival. However, Nick thought he might have seen him before. He looked very similar to Finnick, but he knew it couldn't be him. He knew Finnick wouldn't move up to this level of crime. However, he had no time to think about this, for he was about to ask Judy to go with him to the carnival.

* * *

He walked up to Judy's workstation, who was also finishing up paperwork. Her desk was surprisingly clean, given how many files and cases she had to close and properly file. Many of them being petty crimes, meaning they flew by rather quickly. The office had gotten emptier as the hours flew by, leaving only them and a couple other officers. She eyed him walking up to her table, and set down her carrot pen.

"Nick, how are you doing?" she asked, closing a folder of paperwork and sliding it into a filing cabinet. She noticed Nick's eyes filled with worry and nervousness. "What's wrong?" she then said. Nick turned his head down.

"Do you remember the robbery case we dealt with at the bank?" he asked. Judy's eyes widened.

"Yes, but why? Is something bothering you?" she then asked. Nick nodded his head.

"The second suspect we saw with the first one, he looked a lot like my old friend, Finnick. Was he that suspect? It just can be, I don't think he would ever do this sort of crime," he paused, fiddling around with his tie. Judy got up from her chair.

"Nick, I don't think so either. It's highly unlikely that Finnick would do something like that. Don't let your worries get to you, and I promise that I'll make sure of that," she said, putting a comforting paw on his shoulder. Nick felt better, and smiled.

"Thank you, Judy." he replied, standing over Judy. "Oh, by the way, I have something to ask you," he started, his paws in his pockets. Judy looked up at him.

"Yes, Nick?" she asked, sticking her carrot pen in her pocket. Nick scratched his head, a sweat drop running down the side of his face.

"Well, um, I-I w-was wondering if-if, wait, n-no, ugh…" he sighed, putting his head into his paws, and wiped off his face, and kept his head down. "Never mind." he muttered sadly. Judy gently grabbed Nick's paw.

"Please, Nick, finish what you were going to ask," she said softly as Nick raised his head. "Here, let's go somewhere quiet to calm you down." she then said, taking him to one of the private offices, and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Nick looked her in the eyes, his paws trembling in his pockets.

"Now, what do you want to ask me?" she said gently.

"Y-you know how there's the c-carnival tonight?" Nick asked as Judy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, every three months on the last Friday of the third month, I always go," she answered, staring into Nick's eyes. Nick felt better that they were alone, so he could focus on the one thing he wanted to ask Judy.

"Yeah, and I was w-wondering," he paused, grunting. "Can we go to the carnival together?" he rushed as Judy's eyes widened. She knew Nick would want to go to the carnival, but with her was another story. She was overjoyed that he asked her. Smiling, she hugged Nick, who was taken by surprise at the hug, but he hugged back.

"Yes, I will, you dumb fox," she replied happily. They stood there hugging for a few seconds before parting. "Was this what you've been trying to ask me from the past three months?" she then asked jokingly as Nick nodded his head. "Why were you so afraid?" she added. Nick sat down in the nearby office chair.

"I was scared you would say no," he answered, his eyes full of sadness as Judy sighed. He then shifted his paw into his pocket, reaching for something. "But ever since that one night when you said-" he paused, revealing a carrot pen as he pulled it out of his pocket, and hit the play button. _'Tonight was really fun. We should do this again. Love, Judy.'_ Judy immediately blushed hearing her recording being replayed to her. Nick smiled, putting his carrot pen away. "I felt a lot more confident, and I decided to ask you today," Nick finished, flashing another smile. Judy gave him a playful punch in the arm.

"You sly fox, of course I would say yes to this! I've been wanting to go with you to the carnival as well! Ever since that little get together we had, I've wanted to spend more time with you," she said, winking at him, which caused Nick's cheeks to redden. She giggled.

"Thank you, Judy," Nick said, beaming. "What time should we go? I can pick up you from your apartment," he asked, getting up from the chair.

"Anytime after four-thirty this afternoon I'll be free," she replied, looking at the clock. It read 12:54 PM. Nick nodded.

"Alright, that'll be great!" Nick said happily as Judy smiled. "I'll call you sometime after four-thirty. Now let's finish up our paperwork." he added, opening the door for Judy as they walked out.

To Nick's relief, no officers saw him and Judy walking out together as they went back to their office spaces to finish up paperwork. A large pile on Nick's desk remained, while Judy was wrapping a few last ones up. Nick came across a rainbow of crime files ranging from loitering to petty theft. A few major files ranged from arson to murder; those ones took an especially long time. Some lasting more than an hour, but most under thirty minutes each. The minor infractions lasted about five maybe ten, depending on the severity of the crime.

A couple hours eventually passed before the clock read 3:00, and it was the end of Nick's shift. Judy had left a little before three o'clock to make it to a doctor's appointment she had, while Nick still had a few files to finish up; which he put off until the next shift. After clocking out and saying his good nights to Ben and few other officers, Nick walked out of the ZPD.

The air was fairly warm. Maybe a few degrees below eighty. It didn't bother Nick. He grew up in warm weather climates. It was like he and his species had adapted to it. But he didn't care nonetheless what the temperature was. All that mattered was the night ahead and the drive home.

The drive back home was quicker than Nick thought it would be. Usually, some fool had wrecked his car or some hoodlum blocked traffic for miles. Not today though. He got home around 3:30 to get ready for the evening ahead. He went upstairs to his bathroom and took a shower. It felt nice to wash all the stress off his body and send it packing down the drain. When he was done, he changed into a pair of brand new black jeans and a light blue tee.

When he came downstairs, he went into the kitchen to make himself some mulberry juice. Getting mulberries from his garage refrigerator, he came back inside and dumped the mulberries into the food processor. Just as he was about to press the start button, there was knock on the door. He went over to the front door, and looked through the peep hole. He was a bit surprised by who was at the door. He opened the door.

"Mr. Wolford, what brings you here?" Nick asked happily, looking at the timber wolf. Justin Wolford was one of Nick's great friends he made in the police force, and he happens to live on the same street as Nick. He was kind, charismatic, funny, smart, and was a very great friend to Nick. He first started as an undercover sheep, but Bogo then promoted him to a supervisor.

"I just wanted to stop by for a little visit, see how my good friend was doing," he answered. Justin was wearing a red polo with black jeans. Nick let him step inside, shutting the door. The door made an echo sound throughout the house for about three seconds.

"I was just making some homemade mulberry juice, want some?" Nick asked as Justin nodded. As he went to the kitchen, another question hit him. "I didn't see you at the ZPD today, where were you?" he then asked, as he started up the food processor. It began to rapidly grind the berries into a liquid. Their aroma filled Nick's nose. He strained the juice into a pitcher and divided it among two clear, tall glasses. With the juice in hand, he walked back into the dining room. "It's odd to not see you in the office sometimes."

"I'm on paid leave for the next week until Friday to celebrate an important occasion with my wife," he answered, smiling. Nick's eyes widened as he handed the glass to Justin.

"Elizabeth, isn't it?" Nick lightened up, giving his friend a pat on the shoulder. Justin smiled, nodding.

"Yes, sir," he smiled, taking a sip from his glass. "We've been happily married for 9 years, and on Monday marks the 10th year," he added, pulling out his wallet to show him pictures of him and Elizabeth at their wedding. Elizabeth was a grey vixen, with deep blue eyes, and on the day of the wedding, she was irresistible. Wearing a beautiful white dress, diamond necklace, and designer heels, Elizabeth and Justin looked very happy and overjoyed at their wedding. Nick smiled, handing the pictures back.

"Wow, she looks very beautiful, I'm glad you two fell in love, but how?" Nick asked, blush evident on his face. Justin stared at him, chuckling.

"About 15 years ago, it was my senior year in college, and I was just finishing up my final year of my double major in police science and criminal justice," he paused, sipping his mulberry juice. "In the month of October, it was Halloween, and there was a huge costume party. Everyone was having a great time, except for this one vixen I saw." he sighed, looking back at the negativity on the day. Nick's expression faulted to a sad one.

"Was it Elizabeth?" he asked. Justin gave a sad nod.

"Yes, and she was all alone," Justin started again. "I knew who she was too. She was always being picked on by the cheerleaders for a mistake she made on the squad," he paused, a feint tear visible. "She was at a practice, and she accidentally knocked another girl out." Nick was shocked at what he heard.

"How?" Nick questioned.

Justin shrugged. "I don't know exactly whose fault it was, but Elizabeth was being lifted up in the air by her legs. She stood up on the other girls hands and posed before jumping up and safely coming back down. As she came down, her foot collided with the others face, which caused the whole group to fall."

"What happened to Elizabeth then?" Nick asked shockingly as Justin looked down.

"I witnessed the incident so the dean was able to exonerate her from any wrongdoing, but the cheerleaders never let that go. After the incident, Elizabeth was removed from the squad, they were adamant she intentionally harmed one of their own, and they ruthlessly bullied her over it," he sighed, closing his eyes.

"What did you do?" Nick pondered. Justin opened his eyes and wiped his face of any tears that came down.

"I took it upon myself to comfort her. I sat down next to her, and we talked, a lot," he smiled as Nick also did. "During the whole party, we talked about her problems, and I was able to help her out. I learned that she was schooling to be a forensic pathologist, and we both had a huge interest in solving crime." he said happily.

"That sounds so heartwarming!" Nick replied, smiling and winking at Judy. "And how did things work out since the party?" he added. Justin chuckled, another smile on his face.

"Our friendship grew rapidly, we were talking every day and helped each other throughout our last year of college. After college, we immediately became a couple, and it was amazing," Justin sighed happily at all the memories he thought of. "And 5 years later, I proposed to her and here we are with our two beautiful, healthy children. I couldn't imagine myself with any other girl." he finished. Nick smiled, happy for his friend having a bright future, but Nick needed help with his own.

"That sounds adorable, Justin. I am so happy for you," Nick said, looking at the other pictures that Justin handed him of his children. "No! These can't be your children!"

Justin chuckled. "They are mine, no doubt about that," he said, pointing to the first picture. "This is Michael, my oldest. He is turning four this fall. He takes after my grandfather's looks, my species, and his mothers personality. Couldn't ask for a better son than him."

Nick studied the photo. Michael was lean for a kid his age. Nice muscle build on him, but signs of baby fat was visible in his thighs and cheeks. "Handsome kid," Nick complimented. He pointed to the other photo. "And who is this cutie?"

Justin took the photo. "That is my five month old daughter, Emily. She mainly takes from her mothers side. We still haven't figured out what she takes from me, but we'll know once she starts talking and walking for the first time."

Nick melted at the sight of Emily. She was by far, the cutest baby he had ever seen. Chubby cheeks and a toothless smile on her face. A pink onesie that said: Daddies little monster. "Beautiful baby. Guess I can figure why I don't hear from your wife much. She's got little mouths to feed."

"Indeed she does and thanks, and I am wondering, why did you ask me about this?" Justin chuckled, giving Nick a playful stare. Nick had a feint redness on his cheeks.

"The thing is, I have this crush on one of my best friends since I started working for the ZPD, and I don't know what to do, I feel confused and scared to share my feelings," Nick answered, finishing his glass of mulberry juice and pouring himself another glass. He offered more to Justin, who declined politely. "I wanted to know how you fell in love so I could at least get some….inspiration." Nick continued, sighing. Justin raised an eyebrow.

"It's Judy, isn't it?" he asked as Nick's eyes widened and his feint blush turned into a more visible one.

"How do you know that?" Nick asked quickly, giving off a fake smile. Justin chuckled.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Justin took a second to laugh a bit, making Nick more embarrassed. "Ben and I talk about it all the time, seeing you and Judy talking earlier today was a huge sign that something's going on between you two. We even have a little bet around the office when you two will finally get together. And I kinda saw her at your house a few days ago, am I right?" he finished, chuckling again.

"Yep, but how do you know?" Nick asked back.

"Seeing her car in your driveway, and her driving away down the street. I could probably tell she was at your house and we wolves have quite strong noses," Justin let out laughing as Nick gave a defeated sigh.

"You got me, Justin," Nick chuckled. "Do you have any advice for how I should get closer to Judy or when to tell her I love her?" Nick then asked, shaking. Justin raised an eyebrow again.

"You should never place a time on when to ask someone out before, because you'll rush it if you do. Take things slow, keep hanging out with her," he answered as Nick gave a slight nod.

"But I'm scared of how people will think of me. A predator in love with a prey and an interspecies?" Nick trembled a bit at the thought of how animals would react to his relationship. Justin thought to himself for a couple minutes.

"Focus on showing your affection to her. Don't worry about what the public will do to you and don't let it limit what you can do. However, when you visit a girl's family, you have to prove your case to the family that you are fit to be their daughter's suitor," he said as Nick nodded.

"What can I do to show my affection?" Nick questioned.

"Give her a rose every once in a while, gift her with things she likes, but don't make it seem like you're trying to buy love, you want to give it. Always pay for her meals when you two go out on dinners. Never let her pay out of her own pockets. As my father said, if you can't afford to go on a date, don't go on a date," Justin replied. "And most importantly, be yourself, don't try to act or be like someone you're not. A girl will love you for who you are, not who you aren't." he added, smiling as Nick gave off a small genuine smile.

"Thank you, Wolford, you're the best. Judy and I are going to the carnival tonight, and hopefully we'll have a great time," Nick said as Justin eyed him.

"That'll be fun! I hope you two have a great time! I've taken Elizabeth many times, in fact, that's where we had one of our first kisses. Right at the top of the Ferris Wheel." Just then, Justin's phone ringed as he took it out and answered it. "

 _"Hey, babe! What can a grateful husband like me do for an amazing wife like you!" he said happily, with a wink at Nick. Nick could hear Elizabeth's voice over the phone, she sounded a little anxious. "I was talking with Nick, but I'll be right over! I love you, bye!" Justin then said, hanging up the phone._

"That was Elizabeth, she wants me home to help get the house ready for company we're having over later this evening," he explained.

Nick held his paw towards the door. "Let me show you off then." He and Justin walked to front door. "It was good to see you."

"Indeed it was," Justin replied. "Oh and one more thing about relationships. Try to add uniqueness to each date. Don't be consistent. Keep her guessing." Without another word, Justin waved as he headed out the door.

Nick watched Justin walk up the street back home. A lot of answers had been answered, but that last thing he said lingered in his mind. "Add uniqueness to the dates…huh," he mumbled. When Justin was out of sight, he ran to the kitchen and did the dishes. He was careful to avoid getting his shirt and himself dirty as he loaded the dishwasher. After finishing up the dishes and cleaning the tables, he , it was 5:30 PM. He took a moment to sit down on his couch and called Judy.

 _"Hello?" he heard Judy's voice on the other end of the phone._

 _"Hey, Judy, how's it going?" Nick asked._

 _"It's going good, I'm at my apartment, you?" Judy answered._

 _"I'm chilling in my house, is it alright if I come pick you up now to go to the carnival?" Nick asked._

 _"Sure thing, Nick. I'm at the complex Downtown near the police station in number 564. Make sure to bring some money," he heard Judy chuckle._

 _"I will, Carrots, I'll be right over. Bye," Nick chuckled as he hung up the phone and put it in his pocket._

He went to his room and grabbed his wallet. It was dark gray in color and had a slightly darker logo of the ZPD on it; a gift from Bogo. It had his driver's license with Nick's signature smile on it. In the money pocket, he found around fifty dollars, which was enough for an evening at the Carnival.

"Carnival eats are still ridiculously expensive," he groaned, stuffing his wallet in his pocket. He grabbed his car keys on top of his dresser, and his jacket out of his closet, along with his sunglasses. He threw the jacket over his shoulder and placed his sunglasses on his head before walking out the door.

After locking the door behind him, he got into his convertible. He placed the jacket on the seat next to him and turned the engine over. "Purrs like a kitten," he mumbled, before he backed out of the driveway. "Off to Judy's."

* * *

On the way to the complex, he decided to buy a rose for Judy at a local flower shop near his home. The nice lady at the shop recommended the rose, which Nick didn't bother to argue with at all. He paid with his card and not cash, just so he didn't have to rob the ATM for more cash. The whole exchange lasted no more than five minutes and Nick was finally back on the road again.

About ten or so minutes had passed and Nick quickly found Judy's apartment complex. For a medium sized building, it looked incredibly updated and brand new. Towards the top of the tower, they were still adding onto it. "Must be making good revenue off of it," Nick said.

The elevator stopped an opened with its signature ding. The hallway smelt clean and fresh. The carpet was thin and almost felt like walking on cold asphalt. A sign told Nick that Judy's hallway was going to be to his left out of the elevator. The doors closed behind him and sealed shut before the elevator left to a separate floor.

Judy's room was number 564. Nick walked down the hall, hearing indistinct conversations as he passed rooms. Odd smells from others as well fresh smells, possibly from vacant rooms. For a middle class apartment complex, the place sure did seem and feel five star. Nick noticed the doors on the right ended in odd numbers and the doors on the left ended in even.

"Judy will be on my left," he said quietly. In fact, her door was right in front of him. That's when the fear officially set in. Nick felt hot and uncomfortable. What if she doesn't want to go anymore? Am I too early? Am I too late? Many questions circled his mind.

But that's when he heard a thumping sound beyond Judy's door. It got closer and closer, increasing in volume with each thump. Nick felt compelled to run back to the elevator and pretend to just get off, but his legs felt like they were made of cement. He was forced to fox up and be ready to see his bunny friend. The handle on the door made a clicking sound and slowly opened. Pushing the door open from the other side was none other than Judy Hopps.


	4. Carnival Lights

**A/N: In case everyone still knows, Wolford has a first name now, and his first name Justin. Letting you all know in advance to have time to get comfortable with the change. Now, onto Chapter 4!**

* * *

With Fur There Is Love

 _Chapter 4: Carnival Lights_

* * *

She was wearing a light blue oriental poppy floral print shirt, with same color capris. She also was wearing the same gold necklace he saw her wear on the first date. Nick found the outfit quite cute. She smiled looking at Nick, who also was smiling.

"Hello, Judy. You look great!" Nick exclaimed as Judy's cheeks redden. She hid them with her ears.

"Hi, Nick! What's that behind your back?" she glanced coyly at his hands as Nick blushed. He then showed her the rose.

"I decided to buy you a rose," Nick smiled, handing it to her as Judy's face lit up. She hugged Nick as he brought her into his arms.

"Thank you, Nick! I love it!" she cried out as Nick sighed happily. He let go of him after a few seconds. "Shall we go? We got a fun evening ahead," she said as Nick nodded, showing her to the elevator.

Once they both were aboard the elevator, Judy glanced at Nick's attire for the evening. "You really amaze me with your outfit choices," she said fondly.

"Is that a good thing?" Nick said slowly. He didn't think what he was wearing was odd or unusual in any way.

Judy nodded her head quickly and giggled. "Of course, silly. What I'm trying to get at is that I like what you wear."

Nick blushed at her comment. "Thanks, Jude! I like what you always choose to wear. Same cute bunny every time." He bit back a regret for saying 'cute'.

Judy smiled at him. "Same handsome fox every time."

The elevator came to a stop and they exited the building. The temperature had dropped a few degrees since Nick first arrived. It felt absolutely fantastic. Opening the passenger door for her, she stepped inside and sat in the passenger seat while Nick got in the driver's seat. Putting on their seat belts, Nick put on his sunglasses, earning a chuckle from Judy.

"You look cool," she said as Nick smiled. "Your car looks nice, and it smells great inside, like a brand new car," she added. Nick nodded his head.

"This car is the only car I've ever owned, and I love it. May as well keep it as tidy as possible," Nick chuckled, starting the engine and driving out of the parking lot. He drove about ten minutes away from the apartment complex, to where the carnival was being hosted.

Arriving at the park around seven o'clock and finding a parking spot about seven minutes later, they got out and walked together into the entrance. The sun was still up, and it created a beautiful evening night. Bright lights lit up the fences, booths, and activities, as well as the huge Ferris wheel as music blasted throughout the park. A nice variety of newer bands and older bands alike.

Many young mammals were running around with their families holding cotton candy, balloon animals, and stuffed animals from the games. A couple of petitioners were running around with a petition saying "RELEASE MAYOR LIONHEART FROM PRISON!" and from Nick's perspective, it seemed to have a lot of signatures.

"What did you think of Lionheart before the whole Nighthowlers incident?" Nick asked as he saw the petitioners running around the park. Judy saw them and her ears went down.

"I mean, he was a good mayor, but he handled the stuff about the Nighthowlers so poorly," Judy sighed as Nick took off his sunglasses and shoved them in his jacket pocket. "If only he had of done a better job handling it would he be a free mammal. Too bad he is in jail."

Nick realized that talking about sour subjects wasn't how the night was going to go. So, he surveyed the various surroundings and looked back at Judy.

"So what would you like to do first? I'm thinking play them games over there," Nick pointed at the game booths. Judy saw a couple prizes she'd like to win, as well as some Nick would like.

"Sure, let's go," Judy nodded as they both went over to the area of games. Entering the area, an idea popped into Nick's head. A brilliant one at that.

"Hey, Carrots. I have an idea," Nick chuckled as Judy stopped in her tracks and turned to face Nick.

"And what would that be?" she grinned. Nick smiled.

"Okay hear me out. I think we split up for about ten minutes. In that ten minutes, we have to win a prize for each other. What do you say?" Nick asked, staring at Judy, who chuckled.

"Challenge accepted, and if I win?" Judy grinned, eyeing Nick. Nick fumbled for some words.

"I pay for dinner and food," Nick said. "If I win?" he countered as Judy's eyes widened.

"Uh… I pay for dinner and food then," she countered, staring at Nick's emerald orbs. Nick chuckled.

"Bet accepted, see you on the losing side, Carrots!" Nick chuckled, running to find one of the games with a prize he'd think she'd want. Judy shook her head.

"That dumb fox," she giggled, running to find a prize for Nick.

It took about a third of the ten minutes, but she then found it. The winning prize was a huge, red, jumbo pop plush, just like the day they met. She felt a bit sad at how they first met, but seeing how much Nick had changed, she'd thought Nick would love to have a memory that brought them close, reminding them of each other. She went over to the game booth it was at.

The game was the Bowler Roller. From the looks of it, Judy predicted that she'd need to roll a bowling ball up a small hump, and stop it in a small gap. It looked pretty easy to her, but she had been wrong before in the past.

"Step right up, miss! 1 dollar for a try, 2 dollars for 3!" she heard the barker say, a tiger, pointing at her. She went up to the line, which was empty.

"I'll take one try, sir," Judy answered, handing him a dollar. The barker took her dollar and set a bowling ball on top of the red track.

The barker explained the rules. 'The object of this game is to get your bowling ball in that small gap. Too little force and you won't get close. Too much force and the bowl will come rolling back."

"Good to know," she thanked. She stared down the track for a couple seconds. She then gave the bowling ball a roll. It was a big ball for her tiny frame to push, but she managed to get its momentum going.

The ball made it up the hump, but the ball rolled back down towards her as she couldn't make it over the top of the hump. She groaned, closing her eyes. The barker stood above her.

"Want to try again?" he asked. Judy nodded.

"Give me three tries," she rushed, handing him two dollars. He took the money and put the bowling ball back up.

"Second try," she mumbled, pushing the ball forward. This time she rolled it too hard, and it bounced out of the gap and came back to her. She groaned, stomping the ground. This time, she pushed a bit lighter, but it wasn't enough to get it up the small hump.

"Fourth try, make it count," she heard the barker as she glared at him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and pushed the ball. Opening her eyes, she saw the bowling ball stopped right between the small hump and the end of the track. A large, red buzzer rang, which took her by surprise.

"We have a winner!" the barker roared, clapping for her as the other mammals around her applauded her achievement. Judy gasped in excitement, smiling as she did a little dance of victory. The barker laughed. "Pick a prize, any prize" he then said, showing her the options. She pointed at the huge, red, jumbo pop plush. The barker nodded, taking down the prize.

"It's for one of my friends, sir. I want it to be a surprise, and he'll see me carrying it around, what can I do?" Judy asked as the barker stared at her. Thinking for a minute, he thought of something.

"Here, I'll hold onto it for ya, miss. Pick it up within an hour," the barker answered as Judy nodded. She then sat down in one of the nearby benches, texting Nick on her phone.

' _I got this win in the bag,' she texted, putting her phone away. She then went inside some of the nearby gift shops while she waited for Nick's response_.

Nick was waiting to try one of the games again for his choice of prize. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and took it out. The screen automatically displayed the message from Judy. Nick chuckled mockingly at her comment before he returned his phone to his pocket.

"Hehe, Judy, I will probably win this bet," he chuckled again, and then sighed. "If… I can win this game," groaning, it was his turn again. He already blew ten dollars on the game, Shoot The Star.

The goal of the game was to use a BB rifle to fire at a red star to cut it out of the white paper. To do so, the red star must be completely shot out, and Nick failed his first ten dollars on the game. He was so close, but he couldn't get it. The reward though, was huge; a giant stuffed carrot was the destined prize he wanted.

Getting to the front of the line, he was about to blow five more dollars for two tries, however, he stopped. He noticed that the rifle next to the one he was using was occupied, so he observed the player. It seemed to shoot the bullets a lot more accurately and harder, being able to go through the paper instead of some shots bouncing right off. Waiting patiently for the player to leave, he paid the barker three dollars for one try, and immediately went over to that rifle.

Holding it in his hands, the buzzer rang and he began firing at the red star. He started to fire the outside of the star, to cut it out of the paper. He found that the rifle sights were sighted better and his shots had more precision than before. When time ran out, he saw that he completely cut the red star out. Glee taking over his emotions, he smiled warmly.

"Yes! I did it!" he shouted, excitement coursing through his veins, pure happiness in his mind. The barker and the nearby mammals clapped for him as Nick pointed at the giant stuffed carrot, the barker handed him the prize, and Nick walked away happily. Pulling out his phone, he texted Judy.

 _"I got the prize you also surely want, Carrots, :P," he texted, waiting for a reply, and he received one._

 _"Meet me near the gift shop :P," Judy texted back as Nick put away his phone and made his way to the gift shop, with the prize behind his slender build._

Getting to the gift shop after about five minutes of walking through crowds of mammals, he saw Judy right near the entrance of the gift shop. She looked over at him and gave her best effort to not look so smug.

"Here, let's go inside," she said as the two went inside.

"So, who goes first?" Nick chuckled as Judy nodded.

"Let me get it for you," she winked, exited the gift shop. Nick took the chance to hide the prize behind a nearby shelf. Judy went over to the game she won the prize at, and the barker handed it to her. Struggling to carry the huge prize, she put her strength in her arms, and carried it back to the gift shop.

"Judy, you here?" Nick was sitting down in one of the benches in the back of the shop near where he hid the prize.

"Close your eyes," he heard her say sweetly. He put his paws over his eyes and waited. He felt her walk in front of him. "No peeking!" she said sternly when Nick tried to move a paw slowly away from his eye. "Hold out your paws," she then said, he obliged, his eyes still closed. Judy then set down the huge red jumbo pop in his paws. He felt something soft and large. "Open." she paused, as Nick opened up his eyes.

He could not believe what he just saw. The huge, red, jumbo pop plush in his paws looked so lifelike and realistic. The large, red end of the popsicle stick was bright and colorful, and the stick end of the plush was created with such detail. The plush looked very iconic and a perfect match to an actual jumbo pop.

A wide but genuine smile plagued on the fox's face, Nick immediately set down the jumbo pop plush on the bench he was sitting on, and hugged the rabbit before him in his arms tightly. "Thank you so much, Carrots! I love it!" he shouted with glee as Judy continued to hug her best friend, who was just as happy as she was. A few minutes passed before the fox let go of Judy to let her breathe.

"You seem pretty emotional over a jumbo pop plush, Nick," Judy giggled as Nick chuckled. "It looks like I won, slick Nick." she then teased. Nick gave her a sneer and his smug look.

"But you haven't seen my prize yet, dumb bunny," he countered, chuckling as Judy blushed. She gave him a "Let's see it," look. "Close your eyes," he said, her obliging to his order. Nick grabbed the giant stuffed carrot. "Hold out your paws, please," he said politely, earning a slight giggle from Judy. He set the prize in her paws, it being much bigger than she was. "And open up your eyes for me," he said. Judy opened her eyes.

She too, was shocked at the humongous prize in her paws. The stuffed carrot resembled a prize she always wanted to win when she was a small kit in Bunnyburrow. Judy smiled wide with the huge carrot plush in her paws, and hugged it. It was soft and warm. She set down the plush next to Nick's prize and hugged the fox before her very tightly. Nick chuckled, and gently held the cute rabbit close to his chest.

"Thank you, Nick," she said sweetly as Nick blushed and smiled.

"You bunnies… so emotional, over a carrot plush," Nick commented as he held the rabbit close for a few minutes before they let go of each other. They held both their prizes in their paws. "I assume we both won?" Nick asked. Judy laughed lightly, giving Nick a playful punch in the arm.

"I guess we both did, so we both pay?" Judy countered. Nick smiled, and took out his wallet. He waved it around and put it back in his pocket.

"No, I'll pay," he answered as Judy smiled. They walked out of the gift shop carrying their prizes with them. "You want to share a funnel cake?" he then asked, pointing at a nearby funnel cake stand. Judy nodded as they both walked up to the stand, observing the menu.

"What can I get you guys?" the cashier asked, who was a wolf. He looked young, maybe a teenager. Nick pulled out his wallet.

"We'll share a funnel cake, one half blueberry drizzle, the other in a mulberry drizzle, and we'll have two waters," Nick answered.

"Okay," he said, pushing a few buttons and revealing the total. "One funnel cake and two waters," he recited to himself quietly. "That will be twelve dollars today please."

"Man, carnival food is expensive." he thought, sighing as he was depleted of twelve bucks.

"Thank you," the wolf said. "I'll get that to you as soon as possible."

After about five minutes, their order was ready, and they carefully took it to a nearby table where they sat down. They set down their prizes near their seats.

Nick then used his fork, and took a bite of his side of the funnel cake, with blueberry drizzle. He sighed at the mouthwatering delicious taste of the funnel cake. "This is very delicious," he smiled.

The dough was freshly made and felt warm on his tongue and throat. The blueberry drizzle was very fresh and its flavor was incredible. Overall, the funnel cake was the best that he had ever had. Almost tip worthy. He thought about tipping the wolf, but was to engrossed in his cake that he didn't do it.

Judy grinned and took a bite of her side. Sighing at the delicious taste of the dough with the combination of her favorite fruit, the taste was amazing.

"This is very good, can I try a bite of yours?" she asked. Nick nodded and cut a piece of his funnel cake for her, smothering it in both fruit drizzles. She took a bite, and closed her eyes to taste the fruits together. "Very good, and for you," she paused, cutting a piece for him, and he took a bite.

"Whoa, this is so good," he answered, eating more of his funnel cake. "So, how are you feeling about this date so far," he blushed asking, as Judy looked up from her food and looked at his eyes warmly.

"I love it, we are having so much fun, I'm having so much fun hanging out with you," she replied, smiling at her friend. Nick felt his stomach flutter at the sweet words he heard.

"Thank you, Carrots, I'm enjoying spending time with you as well," he smiled warmly as Judy winked at him. After a few minutes of eating and drinking their water, they were done. Nick looked at his phone, 9:45 PM. "The carnival closes in an hour and fifteen minutes, would you like to ride the Ferris wheel before we go?" he asked nervously, eyeing Judy. She looked up at him.

"Sure thing, let's go," she said as they both got up, carrying their prizes with them, getting to the line for the Ferris wheel. About four minutes passed before they got onto the ride. It took the operator about ten minutes to get a fresh wave of guests on the ride before it really set off.

The ride then started, slowly rotating upward, carrying each cart around the wheel. Nick and Judy admired how beautiful the night sky looked. The sun was just about to disappear over the horizon as it glazed the sky in warm colors; red, purple, orange and yellow, making way for the moon.

"The sky, it looks so beautiful," she said, using her phone to take a picture of the disappearing sun and the appearing stars. Nick also took a picture of the night sky. They smiled at each other, both wishing the ride wouldn't end.

The Ferris wheel operator stopped their cart at the top, and a strong but cold breeze flew by them. Judy shivered. She had forgot a jacket. Nick looked down at her. A look of pity filled his green eyes.

"Nick, I'm c-c-cold," she said, shivering. Nick's eyes saddened, thinking of something. He took his arm out of one side of his jacket, and wrapped it around Judy, holding her close into his body. She blushed at the sudden gesture of affection, and pressed her head into Nick's soft shirt, feeling warm from the jacket.

"Better?" he asked, smiling. Judy nodded.

"Yes." she murmured. Nick smiled at the comfort he felt from holding her close. Instead of worries constantly circulating his mind about prey/predator relationships, he felt at ease. All those little relationship things Justin had told him were working. They got him this far, how could they possibly fail him now.

Judy sighed and groaned happily. The warmth from Nick's jacket had made her not feel cold anymore. The Ferris wheel began to move again, and Judy did nothing to move herself from Nick. She felt protected and at ease. The ride ended, and Nick carefully took her out of his jacket, and decided to give her it. She wrapped it around her.

"It's a little large on me, but it'll work. Thank you, Nick," she smiled, hugging him shortly. As they got off the ride together, with the prizes in their paws, they headed outside the park. Apparently when they were on the Ferris wheel, the park suddenly got less crowded. About half of the guests had left and most of the remaining mammals were spread out amongst the rides.

They made it out to the parking lot and got into Nick's car. He, without Judy noticing, snatched her carrot pen. He got her settled in the car and stared at her. "I gotta make a quick phone call. I'll be back in a moment." He stepped out of the car.

Judy nodded, but said nothing. The heater was on and she was happy.

Nick took the moment to record a quick message on her carrot pen and shoved it in his pocket. "I'll return it back at the apartment." He got back in the car and left for Judy's apartment complex.

It was a little faster drive back than it was coming in. The night life had settled down and there was very little traffic. It only took about five minutes to get to their destination. He parked his car and escorted Judy back to her apartment.

He stopped her before she opened her door. "You dropped this," Nick said, handing her the carrot pen. Nodding, she put it back in her pocket.

"I don't remember having this, but oh well," she said, getting ready to open her door, but Nick stopped her again.

"I'm glad you came out with me today," he said. "I couldn't have had a better date than you."

"Thank you so much, Nick. I loved our time together," she said warmly.

Nick gave her one last hug, before walking away to the elevator. He gave her one last glance before stepping on, out of her sight.

Judy sighed happily and walked into her apartment. She set down the giant stuffed carrot on her dining room table. She now felt hot and sweaty. That heater in Nick's car sure did a number or two on her. Taking a shower and changing into a nightgown, she hopped into bed with the stuffed carrot in her paws, but dropped her carrot pen, pressing the "Play" button as it hit the floor.

 _"Today was the best day ever for me, Carrots. Thank you so much for this moment we had together, at the carnival. I will adore and remember this prize and day forever. Love, Nick Wilde,"_ her heart fluttered hearing the kind message in the sweet voice she had always heard. She put the carrot pen on her nightstand.

"Thank you, Nick. I had an amazing time as well," she muttered sweetly, pulling the covers over herself, and hugging her stuffed carrot plush to herself, falling into a great night's sleep, a smile stuck to her face.


	5. Necessary Expenses

With Fur There Is Love

 _Chapter 5: Necessary Expenses_

* * *

Ever since the carnival date, Nick felt amazed and happy that he and Judy were growing closer and closer as the days they hung out and talked to each other went on. It's been 3 weeks since their second date, and they've already gone on 5 other ones since. They went bowling together, out to dinner a couple times, and some nights they stayed at Nick's house to watch a movie. Things seemed to be working out perfectly between him and Judy, but there was still arising conflict in Nick's mind.

Throughout all of these wonderful moments, worry and doubt still circled through Nick's head, and weighed him down. He still had concerns about how his friends or the public would react to him and Judy together, and if it was even right for him to have deep feelings of love for Judy, an interspecies and a prey to foxes. He feared discrimination and hate from others if they found out. His talk with Justin before the carnival date calmed only some of his worries, and they built up a wall in Nick's mind. He needed some way to get around it.

Waking up in his bed on a Friday morning at around 11:00 AM, Nick gingerly found his feet and got up to take a shower. When he was done, he changed into his usual green Hawaiian shirt, his usual necktie, and his khaki pants. He had the weekend off after Chief Bogo decided to give him the three days off for his efforts. Today was his first of his first three ever, days off, so he had to make good use of it.

Stepping out of his room, he headed downstairs and made himself some toast. He spread peanut butter and extra blueberry jelly on it. After all, he did love blueberries. Pouring himself a glass of orange juice, he took his plate of breakfast and the glass into the living room and set it down on the coffee table. Just as he was about to turn on the TV, a disturbing sound robbed him of his concentration. He heard sounds of arguing, distress, and anger, it sounded like it was coming from outside. He anxiously dropped the remote and quickly pulled apart the blinds of his window, staring outside.

 _He saw a black furred timber wolf and a white female sheep were outside on the other side of Nick's street, standing across from each other. The male wolf seemed very angry, while the white female sheep seemed to be heartbroken. Tears streaming from her eyes, her overall composure was deteriorating. Nick could faintly hear the sounds of arguing from the two animals._

 _"Why, why won't it work out between us?" the sheep asked quickly as more tears streamed from her eyes. The wolf scoffed and stared at her._

 _"Because it is unnatural! How do you think it sounds for prey and predator to love each other?!" the wolf yelled, his face boiling red from anger. The sheep sat down in a nearby bench, covering her eyes. Everyone else who was watching the event unfold, had their ears covered and parents covered their children's eyes, shielding them from the tragedy happening._

 _"I think personally that it's wonderful how prey and predator can put aside differences and…" she stopped, looking hesitant as the wolf stood above her._

 _"But those are just… fantasy tales! Friendship is fine, but love? What do you think my friends and family would say about this!" he shouted as the sheep wiped her eyes of tears from her sleeve. "Just, leave me alone right now, OK? I had enough right now," he said, leaving the scene, with the sheep all alone on the bench, with cries of "Wait!" emitting from her. When the wolf was gone, she broke down, burying her face in her hands._

Seeing the entire event unfold before his own eyes, Nick's mind was immediately plagued with almost every worry and fear he had about him and Judy. He had a lot of hope going into this, believing they would make an excellent couple, but the self doubt seemed to be coming back to him, and he was stuck in a hard place. Closing the blinds of his window, he took his plate of breakfast with his orange juice and went up to his room, sitting down on his bed. He calmly ate his breakfast, trying to think of ways to rationalize and deal with his worries. However, his worries seemed to get stronger. All the questions that he had about relationships came back to him. Am I doing this right? Is it right for me to love Judy? How will animals react to this? What do I do? These questions invaded his head, overloading it with fear, with no answers being found.

Feeling lost and anxious, he reached for his phone, and dialed Justin's number. He heard the dial tone on the other end, and waited patiently for a response.

 _"Hello?" he heard Justin's voice on the phone._

 _"H-hi, Justin. A-are you busy?" Nick said, worry in his voice._

 _"Not at the moment, what's going on? Your voice sounds concerning," he heard Justin reply. Nick took a moment to think._

 _"I don't know, Justin. All I know is that I just need help. My emotions are everywhere right now," Nick bluntly said._

 _"Alright, my wife and I will be right over, sit tight," Justin answered, hanging up the phone_.

Nick waited patiently in his room, still trying to drive out his worries, but to no avail. He truly did not know what to do. A few minutes passed by before he heard the front door open. Justin had a spare key to Nick's house in case he was out of town and needed someone to house sit. He heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Nick, you in here, buddy?" Justin asked.

"It's open," Nick said weakly as he saw the door pushed open, with Justin stepping inside. His wife, Elizabeth, stood by the doorway for a few seconds, then entering Nick's room and sat down in Nick's nearby desk chair. Justin sat down on a fold up chair across from Nick.

"Nick, what's happening?" Justin asked in an anxious tone. Nick wiped his eyes.

"I was going to tell Judy today about my true feelings for her, but something just happened outside, and all these fears and worries I had coming into this are now back! And I don't know what to do!" Nick exclaimed as Justin stared at him with his eyes full of worry.

"Calm down, Nick. What happened that caused you to feel this way?" Justin questioned as Nick breathed a little heavy before continuing.

"I was sitting in home, about to watch some TV, and then I heard arguing outside. So, I drew the blinds open and all of a sudden, there it was! A prey and predator couple arguing with each other!" Nick shouted, his eyes wide open staring around the room. Justin looked confused, and then he realized the significance of the situation. "And one of them asked the other out, and he said no! What if that happens to me when I tell Judy I love her?!" Nick then said as Justin's eyes widened. Justin was deeply concerned for Nick's wellbeing, and this seemed to take quite a toll on it. Thinking for a minute, he spoke.

"Nick, can you look at me please?" he said as Nick looked at his eyes. "Listen, marriage and dating is almost never going to be perfect," Justin sighed saying this. Nick's eyes widened.

"What? Why?" Nick asked in confusion.

"When couples have disagreements, when there's something the other doesn't like, they'll fight about it. They'll argue with each other, and it can cause damage to relationships," Justin stated as Elizabeth moved Nick's desk chair next to Justin. Nick took a few seconds to take it in.

"But how come I don't see you two arguing when it does happen?" Nick asked. Justin and Elizabeth looked at each other with worry. Justin stared back at Nick.

"Fights and arguments mostly go on behind closed doors. We don't tell people if we argue, it's something not to be told usually," he said. "When problems like arguments and fights arise, we must learn to work it out with one another, to talk with our loved one about the problem, and how to fix it. And that's what part of a marriage or relationship is. You work together," Justin continued. "You work together with your partner to solve problems and disagreements, and come with a compromise," he finished. Nick looked at his friend, and thought about it for a moment. He realized it now. Relationships are about being together, yes, but it's also about working together with one another.

"I see, but how is it solved effectively?" Nick said. "What have you two once fought about that you worked together on?" he then asked. Elizabeth then decided to speak.

"We were about 3 years into our marriage, and one particular day, I had quite a bad day at a girls' night out. I was being pranked on by one of my friend's friends, and one of them pulled a nasty prank on me," Nick saw Justin's eyes filled with pain. Justin remembered that day. "I came home from the get together, and Justin did know something was up, but I was afraid to tell him the whole truth of what happened. So I just downplayed the seriousness of it, and didn't really tell everything about what was up," Elizabeth, continued, sighing as she saw Justin's expression. She was quite hurt at that time in her life, and she didn't want Justin to feel guilty for causing it.

"What happened between you two?" Nick asked anxiously, his paws in his pockets. Elizabeth looked up at him.

"We didn't really talk a lot for the next couple days. We both minded our own business for most of the time. And I felt bad because I was lying to him about how serious the problem was, but at the same, I didn't want him to feel bad about it since he suggested before that I go to the get together, so I stayed silent," she explained, staring at Justin. Justin put a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"How did you two work it out?" Nick then asked.

"Well, after another day, I finally decided that I can't handle this on my own. I needed Justin to help. So we sat down and I told him the truth. We both talked and talked about the situation, and I felt a whole lot better with him by my side. I found the emotional comfort and reassurance I needed. We reached a solution and we hugged, and snuggled up in bed as the night drew by," Elizabeth, smiled, giving a wink at Justin, who also did the same. Justin leaned over and gave Elizabeth a small chaste kiss on the lips before pulling back. Nick smiled at the cuteness of the scene, and took a second to take all of what was said into his mind.

"So as a couple, problems are easier when dealt with together, and being a couple means you work together through problems when they arise?" Nick asked. Justin and Elizabeth both nodded.

"Exactly, Nick. Problems will always happen, and when they do, we just got to work together to work through them. And that's what being together is also about, solving problems together to make a happy and great relationship," Justin smiled. "And remember how I said to not let opinion control what you do?" he then said as Nick gave a slight nod. "Just don't let opinions of others control what you do. Go with what your heart says, do what you believe is right, Nick. I believe you and Judy would make an excellent couple," Justin smiled as Nick also gave a slight smile.

"Thank you very much, guys. How do you think I should tell her how I feel?" Nick asked.

"Your heart will tell you what to do, Nick," Justin answered as Nick nodded. Justin and Elizabeth both got up. "We have to go, we got our kids to take care of. My grandmother is in town, so we're going to make sure she's fine. See you later, Nick," As he was about to head out Nick's room, Nick remembered something.

"Wait, Justin! I have one last thing to ask," Nick said as Justin stopped and looked at him. "What was you and Elizabeth's first kiss like?" he asked as Justin and Elizabeth both blushed.

"When talking about a first kiss, that's just a nice extra, Nick. What matters is you two talking and sharing with Judy what you shared with us. Let her know how you feel. Keep yourselves on the same page," Justin answered as Elizabeth nodded. "Bye, Nick, I'll see you later!" he then said, waving to him as his wife did also. They left the room together and then began walking back to their house.

When he and Elizabeth were out of sight from Nick's window, Nick focused back on what was on his mind. He had the courage back again, and knew that today was now or never that he needed to confess his love to Judy. It was 11:45 PM by the time they left, and Nick needed to take action for the day to come.

He sat back down on his bed, thinking of something he and Judy could do together for this day. After a few minutes of thinking, it came to his head: Camping. Ever since the hazing at the Junior Ranger Scouts, Nick's mother took him out camping in the woods near the small suburban town where Nick and his family grew up in. He remembered so many fond memories of them camping, whether it was smores, going fishing in the nearby creek, and just talking to his mother by the campfire. He really enjoyed their camping trips, and thinking about today, he wanted Judy to experience the wonders and joys of camping.

Grabbing his phone, he dialed Judy's number, and waited patiently for her to answer. After a few seconds, Judy's voice was heard on the other end.

 _"Hi, Nick!" Judy said enthusiastically. "How are you?" she then asked._

 _"I'm doing good! I have the weekend off," Nick answered. "Do you also have the weekend off?" he added._

 _"Yes! I'm glad Bogo gave us the weekend off. Pretty cool, am I right?" Judy said happily._

 _"Yea, it is," Nick replied, gulping as he prepared himself for the next thing to do. "Hey, since we have the weekend off, I've been wondering, um," he paused._

 _"Yes, Nick?" Judy asked._

 _"I'm wondering if you'd like to go camping with me today?" Nick asked nervously. Judy took a moment to think._

 _"Yes! Nick, I'd love to go camping with you! I love nature!" Judy shouted with glee. "What time do you want me over to your house, and where are we going?" she then asked. Nick thought to himself for a moment._

 _"Come over by 2:00 PM, and we'll be off, oh, and that's a surprise, Carrots!" Nick chuckled. Judy giggled._

 _"Whatever you say, slick Nick," she chuckled. "What do I need to bring?" Is it overnight?" she then asked._

 _"Well, yes, because what would camping be if it's just daytime?" Nick chuckled. "Just bring a change of clothes, a swimsuit, I'll provide the food and everything else we'll need, alright?" he then answered._

 _"Sounds good, Nick!" she said in delight. "Well, see you at your house, bye!" she said, hanging up the phone, just after Nick was able to say "Bye"._

Nick chuckled in delight as he laid back on his bed, happy of the outcome. He felt both him and Judy would have an amazing date tonight, and it would lead to the perfect moment to confess his love for her. After a few minutes of lying down and relaxing, he got up, grabbing his car keys and wallet, and went outside to his convertible. Getting inside and turning on the engine, he drove out of the driveway and headed to an outdoors store, Cabellosus, which was located in the Downtown area of Savanna Central.

Arriving in the parking lot of the huge store, he parked in one of the brightly yellow colored lots, and got out of his car, and set his eyes on the large building. It had a modern wooden look on the walls, and the sign was bright and colorful. Several elephants, hippos, and rhinos were seen walking through and out the doors and in the parking lot. Locking his car, he walked to the store's entrance and stepped inside. The store was even larger than it looked on the outside.

There were so many different departments of items he could buy from. Fishing gear, camping gear, sporting goods, and even a small food section on the other side of the store. Grabbing a very unusually large shopping cart, he made his way to the camping gear department, where he saw various displays of camping tents set up in the area. However, they looked so large, the size of his entire house. He didn't know why. Looking at the huge tents, they were too large for just him and Judy to sleep in. However, he did enjoy the fact of a huge tent, to make it quite comfortable for the two of them, and it was inflatable. Walking over to a display and design he liked, he picked up the huge box of a navy blue tent, and put it in his cart.

Next he needed backpacks for both him and Judy to carry all of their items. Going to where the backpacks were, he found quite a lot of them would be way too large for him or Judy to carry. He was so confused at why all these items were quite huge, and then it dawned on him.

"Can I help you?" he heard a voice, and turned around to face the figure. It was an elephant. The sudden realization he had as he took a quick sweep around the store; it was a store for elephants and huge mammals. The size of everything was going to be way too large for him and Judy. Putting his eyes back on the elephant, a male one, he thought of something.

"Yea, I happen to find myself in a store for huge mammals," Nick said, still bewildered at how he didn't find this out before.

"Oh, it happens," the elephant chuckles. "We've had all sorts of smaller mammals like you show up in here," he then laughed.

"This is a problem, I'm going on a camping trip with my date tonight, and all of this stuff would be way too huge for us, except for the tent, which I'll buy anyway," Nick said, showing the elephant the tent he had in the cart. "I like how it looks and how comfortable and cozy it'd be with just the two of us in it. Is there any items in here that'll be my size?" he then asked. The elephant shook his head.

"No, sorry," the elephant answered. "However, there is another store down the street that has stuff your size. Just head left from here." he added. Nick nodded before putting his paws back on the shopping cart handle.

"Alright, thank you for the help, I'll be on my way," Nick waved as he began to push the cart towards checkout.

"Good luck with your date!" he heard the elephant say. Nick gave a sarcastic smile. "I'll need it," he muttered. A few minutes of pushing the cart through the store, he made it to the checkout, where he saw a familiar face in charge of the checkout lane.

"Jerry?!" Nick exclaimed, looking at the familiar elephant. Jerry Jumbeaux was wearing a hat with the store's logo as well as his uniform. "What are you doing here?" Nick then asked. Jerry looked up at him.

"Nick? I was about to ask you the same thing," Jerry said sarcastically, staring at the huge tent Nick bought. "And why did you buy such a huge tent?" he then asked.

"For one, why not? It's a democracy," Nick chuckled, lifting the huge box the tent was in on the conveyor belt, it being quite heavy. "And two, what happened to the cafe?" Nick then questioned. Jerry sighed.

"Oh, the health inspectors came on a surprise visit after that couple complained about the snot in their ice cream," Jerry started, scanning the barcode of the tent box. "They shut down the doors after finding the evidence of our food being handled improperly. So now I work here after a dozen interviews," he finished, inputting the data for the item. "That'll be 600 dollars." Jerry said. Nick cringed at how expensive the item was. He forgot to check the price. However, he was determined to make this camping trip as special and memorable as possible, even if it meant making some dents in his bank account. He handed the elephant his debit card, who swiped it in the card reader, and handed Nick the receipt.

"Thank you, have a good day, Jerry," Nick said, winking. Jerry rolled his eyes.

"You foxes are all alike," he muttered, cleaning up his station as Nick left the store with the huge tent.

Nick got outside to his car, the sun was blazing, the outside of his car being hot. He quickly opened the trunk of his car, and set the huge box inside. Getting inside the convertible, Nick turned the key. The clock read 12:45 PM, he had about 2 hours to get the remaining items he needed. He drove left from the store, like the elephant he talked to told him to go. He then found the sign for the other camping gear store, and drove into the parking lot. He got out and locked the car up, and went inside the store.

This one was a little smaller than Cabellosus, but that could be explained by how this store wasn't built for elephants, at least that's what they told him. It had departments of camping gear, fishing, grocery, sporting goods, and even a restaurant was in this one. Grabbing another shopping cart, he made his way to the camping gear section.

He first bought two large backpacks for him and Judy; one emerald colored, and another in a violet colored, matching their eyes. Putting them in the cart, he went towards the bedding aisle, picking up two water bottles of their favorite colors on the way. After examining the several options he had before him, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and air mattresses, he chose to buy two very comfortable sleeping bags, along with two air mattresses. Putting all the items in his cart, he then moved on to buy a couple lanterns, some cookware to use for the campfire, a lighter, two pillows, a portable refrigerator, two coats, and then he was off to the fishing gear section.

He talked with the customer service agent at the fishing counter who helped Nick pick out two poles, one for him, and one for Judy, both with 20 pound line attached. Nick then picked out a couple lures and bait, also buying some extra line and then was off into the grocery store, buying various fruits and vegetables, including their favorite; Mulberries and a ton of blueberries. He also bought yogurt, some jumbo marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars, a lot of them. He also picked up bread, cheese, butter, and many other necessary ingredients he and Judy would both need for the camping trip ahead. After he was done, he headed straight for the checkout, finding an open lane, and waited as the cashier scanned all of his items on the conveyor belt.

"That'll be 900 dollars," the cashier said, who was a tiger. Nick gawked at the huge price, it being much higher than he expected. It was a huge one to pay. He debated whether he should go back and swap out items, but looking at his phone, it was 1:30 PM, and he only had 30 minutes to get home before Judy would arrive. He didn't have time to go back and change anything. A few minutes of thinking went by before he pulled out his wallet, and took out his debit card, using it to pay for the items. He just spent $1400 dollars in one day, _"But for a good reason," he thought._ After all of his items were bagged up, he quickly ran out the door with the cart and loaded the trunk and back seat of his car. He then got inside, turned on the engine, and went right on his way home.

He got home at around 1:50 PM, and began unloading the car of all the items he bought from both stores, and put them on and around the dining table. He put all the food that he bought in his refrigerator. After he was done, he sat down in one of the chairs in the dining room and waited for Judy to arrive.

At about 2:10 PM, Nick heard a knock on the door. Excited, he got up from the chair and went over to the front door. He saw Judy through the peephole. He then opened the door with a wide smile on his face. Judy was wearing a sky blue tee with a pair of dark blue jeans, and her same gold necklace like before. In her hands was a small backpack.

"Hey, Judy, how are you? You look great!" Nick said, winking at Judy, who smiled back at him.

"Thank you, Nick, I'm doing great!" she answered, stepping inside Nick's house as he let her in. "You look quite handsome in your regular outfit too, might I say," she then added, giggling as she saw Nick's face lit up. She set down her backpack next to the door, which was when she noticed the huge amount of stuff piled up on the dining room table and around it.

"Nick! What is all of this stuff?" she then asked, a look of surprise stained her face. Nick took a moment to think of what to say, his paws in his pockets. He was thinking whether to tell her about the price.

"Uh… all of the necessary camping gear we need, it's mandatory," Nick answered, walking over to the table. As he passed by the side of it, the receipts he had gotten fell off the table and landed on the floor in front of Judy's feet. His eyes widened as the papers were out of his reach. Judy saw his expression, felt incredulous, and picked up the receipts, reading them. Her eyes bulged out of her head in shock reading the prices on the receipts.

"Sweet cheese and crackers! Nick, you spent so much on all of this? That's like half of my monthly salary!" she exclaimed, showing him the receipts. Nick still had his eyes widened, he was at a loss of words. "Nick? Did you buy all of this… for me?" she then asked, staring at Nick, whose face lit up a little. He put his hands behind his back.

"Yes, Judy, I did," Nick paused, looking at her. "I just wanted to make this camping trip as special as possible for the both of us, Carrots, even if it meant killing my wallet," he answered, giving off a small smile.

Judy looked up into his eyes, admiring their bright green twinkle. "I can't believe you would buy all this for a weekend camping trip. I'm flattered," she said, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him. Nick hugged the rabbit to him and held her for a few minutes. It felt comforting and sweet whenever he hugged her, and it gave him a lot of happiness holding her close. He was going to make this weekend the best ever.

They parted after a few more minutes, smiling at each other. "Next time, please don't spend this much, I don't want you to go broke. You promise?" Judy then said as Nick nodded.

"You want to get started packing up the car?" Nick asked as Judy looked up at him. "I bought us hiking backpacks to use so we can fit all of the stuff we need, so let's get packing!" he exclaimed making his way to the dining table to take out two backpacks, giving a violet one to her, and keeping the green one for himself.

"I like the color Nick, it matches my eyes," Judy giggled, making the realization. "Oh, and yours does too, I like that," she then added. Nick blushed lightly before he went upstairs to get two short sleeve shirts, his jacket, some khaki shorts, boxers, and extra socks in case they got wet. Coming back downstairs, he neatly packed them into his hiking backpack, trying to make as much space as possible for the other items he'll have to pack.

He then handed Judy two boxes; one containing a sleeping bag, the other contained an air mattress. Judy went to put those three boxes in her new backpack along with her clothes. Nick did the same thing with his two boxes. After a few more minutes of packing the remaining items including other extra necessities, they set their backpacks next to the door as Nick unboxed the cooler that he bought, and filled the bottom with ice. He then put all the food he bought from shopping, the fruits, cheese, vegetables, yogurt, he unloaded from the refrigerator and dumped them gently into the cooler. He then inserted a rack and put the loaf of bread, graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows in it. He surround the rack with ice as well. Snapping the cooler shut, he struggled lifting it to the door, but was able to do it.

Returning back to the dining table, Judy gawked at how huge the tent was when she saw the box.

"Nick, you bought this size of a tent?" Judy exclaimed as Nick chuckled.

"I accidentally stumbled into a store meant for larger animals, and decided to pick up this tent," Nick explained as Judy laughed. Nick then put the tent box next to the door. They were ready to pack up the car. Nick and Judy proceeded to put all the stuff into Nick's trunk, and putting some in the backseat. They were done, and ready to go. After grabbing a few last minute things, locking up the door to Nick's house, they got inside Nick's car, and Nick started the engine, putting on his sunglasses as he did so.

"We got everything, Nick?" Judy asked.

"Yes, we do, Judy," Nick smiled, staring at her sweetly. "I am ready to have an amazing time with you this weekend." he then said as Judy smiled back.

"I am too, Nick, now let's go," Judy answered, leaning back into her seat as Nick pulled out of the driveway at around 3:00 PM and proceeded to head towards a forest that was at a mystical and new location Judy has never been to before.


	6. The Great Outdoors

With Fur There Is Love

 _Chapter 6: The Great Outdoors_

* * *

Judy was getting more and more curious as to where she and Nick were going camping at. Nick was driving along the river between Savannah Central and Sahara Square, and it didn't look like they were in a forest at all. They were still in Savannah Central. Judy looked out her window before bothering to ask.

"Nick, where are we going?" Judy asked, gazing out her side window, seeing the river. Nick chuckled.

"Why would I want to tell you now, it'll spoil the surprise," Nick smiled, stopping at a 4-way stop. After letting two cars pass, he then continued down the straight road.

"But this doesn't look like a forest," Judy countered, continuing to look around her. Nick continued driving down the road. However, he'd occasionally notice Judy staring at him dreamily from out the corner of his eye. Whenever he'd turn his head towards her, he could see she had turned her head back the moment he looked at her. He shrugged off the gesture and focused on the road.

After about 20 more minutes, Nick arrived at what Judy could describe as a toll booth like structure. Nick drove up to toll booth operator, rolling down his drivers side window.

"How many are with you today?" the toll booth operator asked, who was a seal. She had a cap on, and dressed in a uniform.

"Just her and I, miss," Nick answered politely, taking out his wallet.

"That'll be 20 dollars," the seal then said as Nick took out a crisp $20 bill, and handed it to the seal. She put it in the register, and lifted the gate. "Have a nice trip, you two!" she added, waving as Nick drove towards the terminal.

Judy then found out where she was. There was a very huge boat, enough to fit mammals of all sizes. Painted white on the outside, with many windows on the exterior, and a huge balcony on top of the ferry. Judy was mesmerized by the beauty of it.

"Nick, we're going on that?!" she asked quickly, her mouth gaped in awe at the sight. Nick nodded, with a smile on his face.

"Yes, Carrots, we're going on that ferry, and that'll lead us to our destination," Nick answered, smirking at the rabbit. Judy blushed lightly before sitting back into her seat. Nick carefully drove his car into the lot as the guards safely guided him into it. Parking the car, Nick and Judy got out of the car, and Nick locked it up. They approached a bear who was the captain, in a black uniform with gold stripes on his shoulders and sleeves, and a paw emblem.

"Welcome aboard!" the captain said proudly, saluting as Nick and Judy both returned it.

"Thank you, kind sir," Nick said, smiling. "Where should we go on the ship?" he then asked as the captain stepped away from the entrance to the stairwell.

"Go to the third floor, there is a balcony to go outside and an indoor area. Have a nice ride, and we'll be departing shortly!" the captain answered, waving as Nick and Judy both nodded and went up the stairs, catching glimpses of what was on the other floors. The first floor seemed to be for large mammals, as elephants, hippos, and other large mammals. The second floor seemed to be for medium sized mammals like tigers and bulls. Going onto the third floor, they found their mammal size, with the indoor room being filled with foxes, wolves, bunnies, and many other small sized mammals. The outdoor area was almost empty, with only a couple foxes and wolves outside. Inside the indoor area, there were chairs and tables dotted around the room with a small restaurant area in the corner of the room. Nick was surprised at how updated the place looked since the last time he visited it since he was 16 years old.

"Wow, this looks… nice," Nick commented awkwardly as Judy was puzzled at his saying.

"What are you talking about? It looks awesome!" Judy exclaimed, gazing around the room and through the glass where the balcony was. "So why are you surprised?" she then asked. Nick snapped back into focus after eyeing the restaurant menu from afar.

"It's different, last time I've been on this ferry was since 23 years ago," Nick answered, looking around the room. Judy nodded and faced him.

"Well, what do you think of it now?" Judy asked, winking. Nick chuckled, smiling.

"It looks amazing, a vast improvement on everything since my last visit," Nick answered, winking back at Judy, who giggled. "Well, what would you like to do while we're on here?" he then asked, looking at Judy. She thought to herself for a couple moments, observing the area as she was thinking.

"Let's just find ourselves a couple seats, and wait until we can see the forest, it'd make an amazing picture spot," Judy said, smiling as she found a couple seats at a table near the outside windows. They both sat down across from each other and glanced at the view from their seats. Just then, a voice came on over the intercom.

"Good afternoon, everyone and welcome aboard the Kattitas! I am your captain, Oscar, and we will be sailing shortly! Next stop: Alberton, which is east of Tundratown but across the Polar Strait, which will bring us to the exotic and vast territory of the Eastern Forest. ETA is 7 PM. Enjoy the ride, and thanks for choosing us!"

After the intercom turned off, Nick and Judy stared at each other, with Judy wide eyed at how long until they reach their destination.

"What are we going to do for the next 3 hours?" Judy asked. Nick looked around the room.

"You want to eat dinner now? Might as well order our food to get it ready to factor in the long wait times," Nick replied, pointing with his right paw at the restaurant corner. Judy went to reach for her wallet before Nick stopped her. "No, it's on me, Carrots." he then said, smiling as Judy did also while putting her wallet away.

Just then, they felt the ferry beginning to move. After they lowered the water to the correct height, the ferry took off, sailing out of the terminal and on it's way to the forest. Nick and Judy then looking at each other again.

"Alright, Nick, let's go," Judy said, the two of them walking up to the counter of the restaurant, which had a huge line of maybe 10-15 animals. After about 20 minutes of waiting in line, they got to the front of the line at the counter. The host, wearing a red uniform, who was a skunk, was at the station.

"Hello there, you two. You need a menu?" The skunk asked, setting down a pile of menus on the counter. Nick and Judy nodded as the skunk handed them two menus. "When you're ready, our waiters will take care of you two, have a nice day," the skunk then said, waving as Nick and Judy walked away from the counter and sat down at their table. After about 20 more minutes of looking through the menu, they found out what to order, at least Judy did, Nick was struggling with what he wanted to order.

"Judy, what are you ordering?" Nick asked anxiously, studying his menu as Judy put hers down.

"I'm ordering the fettuccine alfredo with a side of fresh carrots," Judy answered, looking at Nick with his menu in front of his face. "You got something you want yet?" she then asked. Nick put his menu down, looking away from Judy for a bit.

"Um, Judy, is it alright if I order fish?" Nick asked very anxiously as Judy looked at him puzzled for a moment, and then understood why he was concerned. He felt like it was wrong to eat meat in front of a prey. "I can order something else if you're not OK with it." he then said before Judy then stopped him.

"Nick, you don't have to do that. You can order what you want, and I'm OK with it," she responded as Nick gave her a 'You mean it?' look. "Yes, Nick, I'm sure. Fish is a more acceptable type of meat in this culture, so don't be afraid because of me, Nick, I'll be fine," she added, giving of a small smile. Nick nodded and pushed his menu gently into the center of the table along with Judy's. Nick then flagged down a waiter who came over to their table.

"Hey there, you two!" a waiter said, who was a female sheep, wearing the same red uniform, but with a few slight modifications. "What would you guys like to order?" the female sheep then asked.

"I'll have the fettuccine alfredo with a side of fresh carrots and a water," Judy said as Nick then looked up at the waiter.

"And I'll have the fish and chips with a water as well," Nick said, handing the waiter the two menus. She took them into her hands.

"Alright, we'll get those dishes out to you as soon as possible!" the waiter then said before leaving to get the orders to the kitchen. Nick and Judy then waited patiently for their food. About 30 minutes passed before their food was ready. After the waiter handed them their dishes, Nick and Judy were ready to eat their meals, but Nick still had some uncertainty in his mind.

As they focused on eating what was on their plate before them, Judy was in delight at how her meal was tasting. The pasta was cooked and seasoned perfectly, the alfredo sauce was savory, and her side of carrots were crisp and sweet. Her mouth watered as she ate her meal

Nick, however, was distant. He really only ate some of his french fries, and kept trying to take a bite of his fish, but was only able to when she looks away. Not even half of his fish was gone. Even when Judy told him it was OK with her for him to eat fish, he still felt that it was wrong for him to do that. After eating a few more fries, he dropped his fork in shame, and put his head down, closing his eyes. Judy noticed this when she heard the fork make a loud "Ping" after it hit his plate, and put down her silverware and focused on Nick.

"Nick? Is everything alright?" Judy asked, staring at Nick calmly as Nick breathed out deeply before lifting his head back up.

"It's just that… wait, no… um… just that…" Nick groaned and put his hands on his forehead. Judy saw how he ate barely any of his fish, and acting on a swift decision, she grabbed Nick's paw and held it. She interlaced her fingers with his fingers, them being larger since his paw was a bit larger than hers, and felt the soft fur on his paw. Nick immediately had a growing blush on his cheeks, and on impulse, he squeezed her paw and held onto it in return, keeping their fingers interlaced, and looked at Judy in her eyes, a clash on clash with violet and emerald.

"Please, Nick. Tell me, what's the matter?" Judy asked, still holding his paw. "You didn't eat much of your fish at all, and you seemed quite distressed when I asked you about it, so what's bothering you?" she then asked, looking at his eyes. Nick's paw trembled, but in her grasp, he felt calm, and that trembling subsided.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "I know, I know you told me that it was OK for me to order fish, but I still think it's wrong of me to eat it in front of you," Nick said, closing his eyes as her expression softened. "I'm sorry, Judy, but I can't eat it in front of you." he added.

 _"He really does care about me,"_ Judy thought to herself, and gave Nick a small smile. "Nick, you've come such a long way to get us here, on this romantic ship ride. I deeply appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. And I've told you, Nick, it's OK with me if you eat fish, you are a predator. I will not judge you, Nick, please, I promise you that," she said, smiling as Nick slowly softened his expression and continued to hold her paw. It felt nice to him, and he liked the feeling of closeness and warmth he was getting. As did Judy, she was floating on clouds. This was a huge step towards their relationship, she felt in love. A few minutes passed before she decided to let go of his paw, and Nick nodded.

"OK, Judy. I'm sorr-" she stopped him as Nick opened his mouth.

"No need to be sorry, I understand how you feel, but just know that I am OK with what you do," Judy winked as Nick smiled. They then focused back on eating their delicious meal. Nick was able to eat his fish with the worry leaving his veins, and he was able to savor the delicious taste of his fish. It was flaky, salted perfectly, and the taste melted in his mouth. Judy was busy savoring her pasta and carrots. After about 20 more minutes of eating, they were finished. Finishing off their waters, Nick left the money for the meals in the bill book, along with a tip, and they got up to go back to some seats nearby an empty table closer to the outside entrance. Nick sat next to Judy and pulled out his phone, playing a fighting game on his phone, while Judy read one of her crime books. About an hour passed before they heard a voice on the intercom.

"Attention, all passengers. This is your captain speaking, we'll be arriving to Alberton in about 30 minutes, so be prepared to exit the ferry!"

After the voice vanished, Nick and Judy looked outside. They saw that the ferry was sailing close to shore, but it was enough to see the vast, beautiful forest. Many trees could be seen, high mountainous terrain, and a beautiful landscape. On impulse, they both went outside to the balcony, which was empty because all the other animals were making their way to the exit to get off the ferry once it arrived. Judy stood over the railing and looked at the vast scene before her. The water, the new territory, everything amazed her. Nick had a lot of fond memories being on the ferry, and seeing the land, and he was excited seeing it again. He rested his arms on the railing and looked outward.

"It looks so beautiful, Nick, it's so relaxing!" she exclaimed, feeling the cool breeze pass over her, as did Nick. The breeze did feel nice, but he felt something even nicer. After they sat down on a nearby bench positioned at the railing, he felt Judy grab onto his paw tightly. Nick blushed at the action, but he instead pulled her closer to himself, putting Judy at his side. She too, then blushed, looking up at Nick, who had a smile planted onto his face. He wrapped his arm around the bunny and held her close to himself. A wave of relaxation passed over the two, as Judy snuggled into Nick's warm body, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt like she could fall asleep and be in this moment forever. As for Nick, he felt the same. He rested his own head on top of Judy's, feeling warmth and comfort as his cheek nuzzled the soft fur on top of Judy's head. He hummed in relaxation as both stayed in this position for quite some time, gazing at the water and forest before them.

A long time passed before they heard a loud horn coming from the ferry. They then saw the ferry was at the Alberton terminal. Judy groggily got out of Nick's hold, even though she didn't want to.

"That felt amazing," Judy said, smiling at Nick, who got up from the bench. He smiled, closing his eyes.

"It was, Carrots. I loved that," Nick answered, winking at Judy, who had a blush on her face.

"I'm glad I'm here with you, I'm excited to go camping," she said, hugging Nick. He blushed, and hugged the rabbit in his arms. They held each other for a few minutes longer before they let go of the embrace.

"I am too, Carrots. Let's go," he said, smiling and headed for the exit as Judy followed behind him. After getting down to ground level, they patiently waited for all the animals on board to take their cars out of the terminal before they were able to get inside Nick's convertible. Being guided outside of the ferry and onto the new territory in Judy's eyes, they drove down the first road in the center.

The roads were quite winding and long, going through fields of acacia trees, oak trees, and birch trees as well. Judy took multiple pictures from her phone.

"Nick, where are we going?" she then asked, staring at Nick who had his sunglasses on.

"We're heading to a special hiking trail, I've been here before. You are going to love it," he answered, smirking at Judy as he put his eyes back on the road. Judy could only wander how far the lot would be. They passed huge scenic spots, such as the large hill they drove over, revealing more of the massive exotic territory, and also passing by a few flower meadows as well. About 30 minutes of driving passed before they arrived at the lot. Nick parked his car in one of the spots, took off his sunglasses, and shut the car off. They both stepped out of the car and Nick opened up the trunk.

"How are we going to take all of this stuff with us?" Judy asked, putting on her hiking backpack as did Nick. He lifted the cooler out of the trunk, as well as the tent box, and opened it up. He discarded the box, and put all the contents of the tent in the carrying bag. He then tied the bagged tent to the cooler with a spare rope he kept in his trunk, and they were ready to go hiking, at least Judy was. Nick had to wheel a huge cooler and tent with him through a forest trail.

 _"This is going to be hard,"_ Nick thought, locking up the car and lead the way into the forest trail. However, he felt the cooler to be a lot easier to carry in his hands, since it was much lighter than it was before. He picked it up by it's handles and continued into the forest.

The trail first consisted of a lot of straight, uphill hiking, but with more steep inclines downward. Nick was exhausted walking uphill with the cooler in his hands, and the tent on top of it made it harder for him to see what was ahead of him. Judy guided his footsteps though, much to his relief. Seeing many exotic trees and flowers, Judy was in awe at how beautiful the forest looked. She had never known of this territory, and it amazed her. She wanted to explore more of this, maybe with Nick as well. They went up and over a few of the steep uphill inclines, and went slowly down the steep downhill slopes. Nick was scared he'd fall, because with all the weight he was carrying, he fears he would lean forward or backward too much and fall. This fear skyrocketed when he came upon a familiar, but the steepest of the drops on the trail.

They hiked about a mile before they came across a particularly steep drop. Nick's eyes gawked in horror, he remembered coming across the drop 23 years ago. It was quite a scary memory for him. Judy bumped into his back when Nick stopped in his place, leaving Judy confused as Nick stepped aside to a flat part of the trail, sitting down and setting his stuff on the floor.

"Nick, what's wrong?" she asked anxiously, going up to Nick who was sitting down against an acacia tree. He looked quite distressed, holding his chest to regulate his now irregular breathing. He stared forward in the direction of the steep drop, and Judy didn't understand why. She decided to prod him more. "Are you scared something bad will happen?" she then asked. Nick looked up at her.

"This place has a bad memory to me," Nick rushed, closing his eyes as Judy's ears drooped. She thought for a moment about what would she do in this situation. She spotted the cooler.

"Here," she said, taking Nick's backpack clip, and clipping the handle of the cooler onto it. Nick observed her, and looked up at her. "Was that all or was there something about this slope that's scaring you?" she then asked, looking at Nick's expression. He looked frightened as he nodded.

"First time I ever was here, this was after the hazing at the Ranger Scouts, I was 9 years old. My mother took me to this forest to go camping to prove I didn't need to be in some Scouts to go camping," Nick started, smiling slightly as Judy's heart warmed. "We were hiking along this same trail, and I came across this steep drop. I tripped, and fell down the steep slope," he then added, looking down the steep slope, shuddering at the height. Judy's eyes widened at his statement. They were on the gondola lift a while back, and he wasn't scared of being that high. Looking at the steep drop of the slope and interpreting Nick's memory, maybe he was.

"Did you get injured?" Judy asked, kneeling down to Nick's level.

"I twisted my arm very badly, but my mother patched me up, and we had an amazing time camping," Nick smiled for a moment. "So yes, I'm just scared the same thing will happen if I try to go down that slope. I'm scared I'll drop everything if I try to go down." he pointed at the slope, and got up with the cooler and tent now attached to his backpack. It felt much easier and lighter to carry for some reason. Judy thought for a few moments of what to do to ease his apparent fear of heights. She thought of something brilliant, something that would truly answer one of her own questions as well. She immediately grabbed Nick's paw, and interlaced their fingers together. Nick blushed heavily at her action.

"Nick, I need to ask you something," Judy paused, looking at Nick's eyes, which were full of worry, and his cheeks were reddened. "Do you trust me?" she then said as Nick's eyes widened. He took a deep breath, calming himself.

"Y-yes, I do, I'm just scared," Nick shivered, walking a bit closer to Judy. Judy looked at his eyes again.

"Do not worry, Nick. I got you, just hold on tight," she answered, inching towards the center of the slope. "We're going to walk down this, together. I will hold your paw tightly, and I will not let you go, you understand me? I will not let you fall." she finished, giving a slight smile. Nick took another breath again.

"I understand, Judy, now let's get down," Nick said, shaking a little as Judy first stepped forward, her feet now on the incline of the slope. Nick then took a step forward, and he was now standing on the slope. In his mind, his head was whirring with fears and worries. He closed his eyes, and gripped Judy's paw tighter. She squeezed his paw in return for assurance. They then slowly made their way down the slope. Nick's mind was still whirring, but he felt a lot of ease holding onto Judy's paw. He felt content and warmth. Along with Judy, she felt warmth as well holding onto his paw, it felt good to her.

After a few long minutes of stepping over fallen logs and rocks on the slope, they finally made it down to the bottom, and Nick felt accomplishment. He immediately hugged Judy tightly, taking in her scent. She smelled like blueberries, his nose tickled in delight.

"Did you use blueberry soap, because you smell good," Nick chuckled, still holding the rabbit in his arms. Judy blushed heavily before she continued to hold onto Nick.

"Yes, Nick, I did," she said, letting go after a few minutes.

"Thank you, Judy, thank you so much," Nick said, smiling at Judy as she did the same.

"You're welcome, Nick. This was a great moment for us, we both trust each other," she said sweetly, smiling again as Nick blushed, and then chuckled.

"Hey, I have a question," Nick asked, looking down at Judy, whose ears perked up.

"Yes, Nick?" she answered.

"Can I hold your paw again? I want to hold it until we get there," Nick blushed, scratching his head as Judy had a blush on her face. She thought for a moment, and then grasped his paw again, holding it like she always had, with loving fervor.

"Of course Nick, I will, you dumb fox," Judy smiled, giving the fox another hug before they continued to walk together along the trail again.

"You sly bunny, you never cease to impress me," Nick answered, smiling as he focused back on the trail, guiding Judy in the direction towards his secret place. They continued to walk through massive groves of trees, and this time the path was relatively flat in elevation, which eased Nickt to comfort, and even more as he held the paw of the one he loved. This camping trip would be the perfect time to confess his love to her. Justin and Elizabeth's talk with him earlier did put away a lot of his worries he had coming into this trip, and he felt more confident. He figured that he'd tell her the next day when the sun is shining and they are together.

Judy felt like she was floating on clouds. She felt comfort and warmth in her heart and soul as she held Nick's paw. She loved him so much she could just confess to him right now. However, something in her mind told her not to yet, and she did not know why. She decided to also tell him tomorrow, perhaps in one of the flower meadows she saw walking down the path with the fox. Putting her eyes on Nick, they continued to walk down the trail.

They walked together for another mile, and then, there it was. Or so, Judy thought. Nick stopped in place as they arrived in a huge open area. Mountains and groves of trees surrounded the area, and there was a huge lake ahead down the hill. The sun was beginning to set, its orange sky illuminating the area. Judy was mesmerized by all of this nature, and she looked at Nick, who was smiling at her.

"Nick, this is beautiful! This place looks amazing!" she shouted, jumping around in joy as Nick set his backpack, tent, and cooler down. He too was mesmerized by the beauty of the scene. It brought back many memories of himself when he first came to his area. Truly, this would make a wonderful weekend of exploration, fun, and hanging out together.

"It looks fantastic, Carrots! We have an amazing view of the area, the sunset, and a huge place to camp! Now let's set up this tent!" Nick smiled, heading towards the tent bag and gently opened it up, dumping the contents. There was the tent itself, and an air pump. Judy raised her ears in curiosity as she looked at the instruction manual that was also inside the bag.

"Nick, why is there an air pump here?" she asked, flipping through the manual and finding almost no instructions except for a part list and the words, "Just pump it up,". She was now even more confused, scratching her head. Nick laughed as he was spreading out the tent, which had a color scheme of sky blue and black. He put the tent stakes provided in the ground just in case there was high winds or rain.

"Because, Judy, this is an inflatable pole tent, and I can just use this ar pump and our tent will be ready in minutes!" Nick chuckled, putting the air pump hose nozzle into the tent, and then began to pump up and down. The tent began to take shape as air was being put into it. The inflatable poles held the tent up as more air was being put in. After about 3 minutes of pumping, Judy tapped on Nick's shoulder, wanting to pump up the tent a bit. He stepped aside, rummaging through his backpack for things while Judy pumped up the tent. A lot more pumps later and the tent was finally up. The outside was immense, taking up the size of two elephants put side by side. The huge open and flat area they were on fit the tent perfectly. Judy stepped back alongside Nick as they both admired the tent's size and cool design.

"Nick, this tent looks so huge! It's huger than what's pictured on the bag!" Judy shouted as she gave Nick a playful punch on the shoulder. Nick smiled.

"It looks like it too. You want to look inside?" he smirked as Judy nodded eagerly, picking up her stuff and the two unzipped the front and stepped inside, bringing everything in with them. The inside looked much huger to them than was the outside. It was almost the size of Nick's entire living room, dining room, and kitchen space combined. Judy gawked at this huge size, and laid down on the tent's floor. It was soft and cozy.

"This tent is amazing! It's so soft and it feels wonderful!" Judy shouted, rolling around on the tent surface as Nick laughed and began to unpack his bag to set up his sleeping bed. Judy did the same when she saw Nick pull out his sleeping bag box. After setting up their bedding a little away from each other, along with a couple blankets, they reconvened in the center of the roomy tent, sitting next to each other.

"So… what would you like to do next, Nick?" Judy asked, smiling as Nick blushed for some reason, which in turn, caused Judy to giggle. "You look cute when you blush by the way." she then added, winking playfully at Nick.

"W-what! What are you saying?!" Nick stammered, his blush growing heavier. Judy laughed, smiling again as she inched closer to Nick.

"I said you look cute when you blush, you dumb fox," she answered as Nick's blush reached its peak, and he stayed that way for a while, then he thought of something as he eyed the cooler.

"Would you like to watch the sunset together, and the stars?" he asked, carefully making his way to the cooler and pulling out two containers, one with blueberries, the other with mulberries. Judy smiled sweetly as Nick handed her the mulberries.

"I would love to, Nick!" Judy exclaimed, hugging the fox before her again. Nick held her tightly and affectionately for a few moments before they parted. "Let's go!" she said, walking outside the tent with the mulberries in her paws. Nick grabbed one of the blankets and took it with him outside. She found Judy closer to the hill that led down to the lake, a few feet away from her. The sun was almost down, still glistening it's orange color. Nick spread out the large blanket, and sat down on it with Judy. They sat really close to each other, putting the fruit containers on the ground next to them, and began focusing on the sunset.

"It looks so beautiful," Nick said, eating a few of his blueberries as Judy smiled, silently taking a blueberry from his container and ate it. Judy's face was covered in mulberries as she looked at Nick.

"Yes, Nick, it does," she said sweetly, eating more of her mulberries. "It reminds me so much of what I used to do when I was little." she then said, laying her head on Nick's shoulder. Nick smiled and wrapped his arm around her body, and held her close to him. They both sighed slightly at the wonderful feeling. Nick then thought of something as he stole a mulberry from the mulberry container.

"What did you do as a young kit, Carrots?" Nick asked, staring at her eyes. Judy's eyes widened as she focused on Nick's emerald orbs. She was flattered he had interest in knowing about her life in Bunnyburrow. Giving Nick a small smile, she ate another mulberry before opening her mouth to speak.

"Growing up in Bunnyburrow, I loved my huge family so much. 275 kits, it was quite packed and hard to do things sometimes, but I love my family," Judy answered, humming sweetly at the memories of her childhood. Nick ate another blueberry. "We did everything together as a family, and I loved it! My parents, they are the best, and I'd do anything for them." she paused, her ears perked up in delight. Nick smiled at her, still interested to know more.

"What did you do as hobbies growing up? What did you like to do?" he asked, looking at Judy's eyes again as she had her head firmly rested on his shoulder, it felt relaxing. Judy thought to herself for a couple moments before she continued.

"I LOVED nature, it amazes me, and I have so much fun being around it! Every weekend when I was little, my family would visit our grandparents' house, which was an hour away from the farm, and there was this vast forest that I would explore when we were up there," Judy paused, containing her feelings of excitement from the memories. "I would explore its vast size, sitting by the pond that was there, picking flowers, and having fun everyday in the forest, and I never wanted to leave." she continued, smiling at Nick, who also beamed. "So, being at this kind of place, it brings back a ton of memories!" she finished, laying back on the warm blanket. Nick chuckled, laying on the blanket as well.

"That sounds like a fun life," Nick said, looking at the night sky which was filled with many stars, making the shapes of many intricate constellations. After gazing at the sky for a few minutes, Judy decided to ask Nick something.

"Nick?" she said as the fox hummed to show he was listening. "What was your life like before the hazing?" she asked as Nick shot up from the blanket, sitting up immediately after her question, his eyes wide, and his head whirred with worries. After thinking for a while, he opened his mouth.

"I grew up in a slummy part of Savannah Central, the southern area of it. My family was above average in income, but we didn't live in a good area. I've been taken advantage of by many other mammals, probably because they expect foxes to be troublemakers," Nick paused, eating more blueberries. "In school, they'd mainly use me as a ways to steal things for them, and I didn't want to, but they made me do it anyway," Nick continued, wiping his eyes as Judy's expression faltered. She never knew Nick grew up in that condition. "I had an extreme love for nature. It was something I could explore and enjoy, relieving me of a lot of stress. There would be days I'd spend my entire day in a forest my parents drove me to, and it was wonderful." Nick added, rubbing his arm. Judy pondered at his response.

"Was that why you wanted to be a Ranger Scout?" Judy asked, her eyes shut. Nick looked down at Judy in worry, waiting for her to open her eyes. She did after a couple seconds. Nick shuddered before continuing his story.

"Yes, I wanted to be a Ranger Scout so badly. If nature made me this happy in life, and relieved me of so much stress, I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet others who are on the same path. They were so nice and kind to me when we first talked, but I was wrong," Nick rushed, pulling out his wallet. He showed Judy a business card that had the Ranger Scouts information on it. "But then that whole muzzling business went down, and I don't need to remind you of that again." Nick said blandly as he paused, putting his head in his paws. Judy got up from the blanket and hugged him from behind. Judy felt extremely bad for him, hearing the sour memory be told again. They stayed in this position for a while before Judy stood up.

"What happened after all of this?" Judy then asked, rubbing Nick's head gingerly as he sniffed again.

"After that incident, my parents started fighting back and forth a lot. They got divorced when I was nine, and I chose to live with my mother. My mother and I both loved nature, and she took me camping to this spot, and I had a great time. I still love nature, and I went through high school, but I wasn't able to go to college," Nick sighed, wiping his eyes of a stray tear. Judy's ears drooped.

"Why, Nick? What happened?" she asked. Nick held his chest.

"My college application got denied multiple times," he answered, stretching his arms a bit. "I didn't know why, but the general reason was probably because there was only a small percent of predators in the college I wanted to attend, so I gave up." Nick sighed, putting his head down. Judy patted his back.

"What did you want to study?" she then asked. Nick thought of this for a couple minutes.

"Maybe environmental science..." he answered, pausing slightly for another blueberry he popped into his mouth. "...Maybe information technology. You don't grow up in the nineties without being told how great computers are gonna be," he added, twiddling his thumbs.

Judy felt warmth that Nick and herself both share a love for nature, and she would want to make sure this would be a wonderful camping trip. However, as these dark times resurfaced, Judy wanted to make sure Nick felt at ease and receive that closure he might be looking for.

"How was life up until you met me for the first time?" she asked desperately as Nick stared at her in worry. "Nick, I promise you, I will not judge you because of your past, you hear me?" she then said as Nick nodded, opening his mouth.

"I've been taken advantage of many times, doing dirty work for others, and then they pin the blame on me, and that's when I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to survive, I wasn't making a living at all, and I needed a way to get out of my trouble. So I became a conman when I was 12. I needed a way to bolster myself, so I wouldn't be so afraid all the time. Might have worked a bit too well." Nick said emotionlessly. His eyes lacked a particular luster, his ears were drooped, his tail was down, he looked emotionally drained. Judy observed him for a couple minutes, for she never seen Nick like this before.

"Do you regret doing conning?" Judy asked anxiously as Nick nodded his head.

"Yes, I do," he said blandly again. Judy felt a whole new feeling inside of her, she leapt at Nick and hugged him.

"Nick, don't be afraid. I am proud of you," she started as Nick's eyes widened in confusion. "I am proud that you have came this far in life, despite your hardships. I am proud that you kept walking forward no matter the circumstances. You are an amazing person, Nick, you know that?" Judy smiled sweetly, hugging the fox again. Nick smiled wide, holding the rabbit tightly in his arms. "No matter where you get stuck, or how stuck you are, I will not abandon you, Nick. I will do everything in my power to keep you up on your feet." Judy finished, letting go of the fox and grabbed onto his paw, interlacing their fingers again. Nick blushed and smiled. "Now let's do some more stargazing, shall we?" she giggled, laying down on the blanket as did Nick, their paws still connected.

"Thank you so much, Judy," Nick mumbled loud enough for her to hear, and she squeezed his paw.

"You're welcome, Nick," she answered, putting her eyes back on the sky, watching the stars. They continued watching the stars and talked to each other for a couple more hours, before they grew drowsy. Judy checked the time on her camera: 11:45 PM. Her eyes widened, and so did Nick's when he glanced over at her camera screen.

"Wow…" Nick pondered, standing up along with Judy, letting go of her paw as he closed both fruit containers and picked them up. "Time does go by when you're stargazing, doesn't it?" Nick asked, putting the containers of fruit back into the cooler, luckily none of the ice had melted. He shut the cooler and put it inside the tent. Judy came in behind with the blanket and set it in the corner of the huge tent, and then went to her backpack, pulling out a nightgown.

"Nick, can you close your eyes? I need to change into my nightgown," Judy asked nervously, staring at Nick. He obliged, facing the corner of the tent and covered his eyes. After a few minutes, she whistled, and Nick turned around, his eyes still covered. "You can open them now, silly." she chuckled as Nick took his paws away from his eyes. Judy was dressed in a simple, violet nightgown. Nick zipped the door of the tent shut, and got into his sleeping bag for bed.

"Goodnight, Judy, I had so much fun today, I can't wait until tomorrow!" Nick said happily, putting his head on his pillow. He heard Judy chuckle and sigh delightedly.

"Goodnight, Nick!" she answered back, snuggling into her sleeping bag and fell asleep. Nick, however, was getting a bit restless. He stayed wide awake staring at the ceiling of the tent. His mind still was filled with fears of the next day, how he would profess his love, what would he do, what if she says no. It was all he could think of, and it drove him up the walls that he was so worried all the time. After more contemplating, Nick finally was able to sleep, closing his eyes with a smile on his face as he snuggled into his sleeping bag.


	7. Love's Arrow to the Heart

**A/N: I apologize for the three month wait on this Chapter, but the good thing is, that it's out before Valentine's Day. Anyways, enjoy reading this long, exciting Chapter.**

* * *

 _ **With Fur There Is Love**_

 **Chapter 7: Love's Arrow to the Heart**

* * *

Nick felt a tingling sensation rush down his spine as his eyes burst open. He felt groggy and a little chilly, his left arm numb from sleeping on it awkwardly. Lying a foot away was Judy. The little bunny snuggled deep into her sleeping bag. The air in the tent felt heavy and damp as Nick withdrew himself from his comfortable sleeping bag.

He threw on a pair of cargo shorts and a black t-shirt and quietly unzipped the tent, stepping outside into the chilly morning air. A light fog had settled over the forest floor and Nick couldn't see more than maybe fifty feet. His breath only proved that it was fairly cold outside, but it didn't really seem to bother the young fox.

His stomach began to grumble as food popped into his mind. So without disturbing Judy, he grabbed the cooler out of the tent and zipped it closed. Nick set the cooler down on a nearby, low-sitting stump and opened it up.

He immediately thought of about five different things he could make for him and Judy. But then his eyes set upon some apples and a knife. Since he was a kid, he used to make them all the time and he figured Judy would be impressed by them.

"Let's make some apple swans," Nick said excitedly.

Reaching his forearm into the cooler, he snatched up a couple apples, a cutting board, some other assorted fruits, a knife, and some extra utensils. He decided to start with the apple swans since they were going to take a few moments to create.

Nick then proceeded to cut each apple in half on the cutting board he placed down on another stump, removing the seeds and putting them aside. He laid both halves of the apples face down and then cut right angles out of two of the halves to make wings. Repeating this process to get five pieces, he stacked the wings together and it looked beautiful. He then did the same process on the other two halves, to make two sets of wings. Smiling at his progress, he carefully made a small slit on the center of the apple half to make a slot for the head.

He then picked up the other two halves of the apples and cut it each horizontally four times and picked up the piece that had a heart shape. Making 3 strategic cuts to that piece, he made the shape of a swan head, and pressed two of the apple seeds into it, making two eyes. He carefully stuck the head into the slot he made and the apple swan was complete.

He put the fully constructed apple swans onto a paper plate, and he grabbed a few strawberries out of its container. He then made slight cuts into the strawberries, and fanned them out like rose petals. Repeating this process, he then surrounded the apple swan with many strawberry roses, topping each one with a mulberry.

Judy's breakfast was then complete. Smiling at his creation, Nick took a picture of it with his phone, and then heard a zipper noise nearby. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Judy stepping out of the tent and zipping it back up from behind her. Judy was wearing blue jeans and her pink plaid shirt. Nick thought it looked nice on her, it reminded him of the day they made up under the bridge. He put away his phone and had his back to her.

"Morning, Nick! How did you sleep?" Judy said, yawning as she stretched her arms out wide. Nick thought of what to say as he kept holding the plate of beautifully designed fruits.

"I was a little restless last night. I guess I was worried about some things going on in my life," he said monotonously, keeping his head down. Judy's ears shifted in concern. "But, it's nothing, Carrots, don't worry. I made you breakfast, you want to see?" Nick asked as he had a smile on his face.

"Yes, I do, please, show me!" Judy said enthusiastically as Nick turned around and showed her the breakfast he created. Judy was immediately amazed and mesmerized by the vivid, bright colors of the fruit assembled on the plate. "Nick! It's so beautiful and looks delicious!" she said, jumping in joy as she takes the plate of apple swans and strawberry roses into her paws and nibbles on one of the mulberries, smiling at the taste.

"I'm glad you like it. My mom taught me how to do it when I was a kid. Just a few simple cuts here and there and then you have swans. It's really all in the technique," Nick explained. "Anyway, do you want to plan out the day? I'll start up a fire."

"Sounds good. I'll grab our chairs," Judy said, as she set down her plate.

Nick approached the fire pit and began to build up a teepee of kindling. He set moss in the center and sprayed a little bit of oil onto it. Using his multi-tool, he began to create sparks to ignite a small flame. The flame took no time in starting up and soon the heat spanned out across the campsite.

Judy had returned with the chairs by the time he had finished. "Wow! That was fast," Judy said.

Nick shrugged. "What can I say? I'm good at starting fires." He leaned over a snatched a few blueberries out of the cooler and began to eat them, savoring their sweet taste.

Judy set up the chairs and took a seat with her food in her lap. She bit off the wings of one of her apple swans before Nick shoved a small handful of blueberries into his mouth. Judy giggled watching him.

"You love blueberries, don't you?" she laughed, eating another strawberry rose. Nick nodded as his mouth was filled with blueberries, swallowing them after a few seconds of chewing.

"Yes I do!" he laughed, closing the top of the blueberry container. "So, Carrots, what shall we do today? Go for a swim? Go for a hike to those flowerbeds?" Nick asked, twiddling his thumbs. Judy went over to her duffle bag to pull out her swimsuit.

"How about we hit the waters and go swimming?" she suggested. "The water looks very clear and refreshing." She watched Nick grab his swim trunks.

"I'll wait outside for you to get changed, and then I'll change?" Nick asked as Judy nodded. He then went outside the tent and patiently waited for Judy to change into her swimsuit.

Minutes later, she came out of the tent, wearing a red two piece suit, which was a little revealing, but still quite modest. Only less than half of her stomach was showing.

"You look nice in that swimsuit Judy. Not too modest and not too revealing either for my taste," Nick smiled, heading inside the tent as Judy's cheeks turned a slight red. Nick came out a few minutes later wearing green swim trunks with white flowers dotted around it.

"Well, I'm ready to hit the lake," he announced.

"Race you!" Judy said, as she bolted towards the beach.

Nick grew shocked, but he started to Chase after her, but almost immediately felt exhausted. "Hey, no fair. You had a head start," he called.

"I told you to work on your cardio," she called back. "All that cardio training paid off, for me!" she laughed, almost to the lake, which got Nick to speed up, almost passing Judy before they both stopped at the shore. Nick panted heavily as he stopped, Judy letting out a chuckle.

Once Nick caught his breath, he made his way towards the crystal clear water. He dipped his foot in and immediately pulled it out. "Aye! That's cold!"

"Shall we go in at the same time?" Judy asked, facing the water. Nick nodded with a sly smile.

"Alright, on 3…" Nick started. "1… 2… 3!" he began running in place to make it seem he ran with her, and it worked. Judy ran straight into the cold water, her shrieking.

"Ayeee! That's really cold!" she shouted as she tried to get herself used to the cold water. "Nick, where are you?" she then said, noticing he wasn't in with her. She spotted him on the sand still, smirking. Her expression quickly changed. "NICK! How dare you trick me like that!"

Nick shook his head and laughed. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart," he responded, setting his towel and sunglasses down as he then went into the water with her, having about the same reaction Judy did.

After a few minutes of getting their bodies adjusted to the water, they swam out deeper into the lake. "It's really quite refreshing, isn't it?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, it really is," Judy responded, not even looking at Nick.

"What are you looking at?" Nick asked, his curiosity spiking.

"Nothing, I'm just admiring the scenery. That's what makes lakes ten times better than pools. You just can't get the same views or relaxation. Besides, public pools are very chaotic," she explained.

"I can agree with you there. I've always wanted to have a log cabin, just sitting beside a gorgeous lake like this. Wake up every morning like this would be the life," Nick said.

"That sounds wonderful, Nick. I would want to do the same," Judy smiled, diving underwater for a couple seconds before coming back up. When she came back to the surface, Nick splashed her, smirking. "What was that for?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Splash fight!" he shouted, splashing her wildly. Judy shrieked and laughed, quickly splashing his face, following by many more splashes. Nick chuckled and kept splashing her shoulders and face, but was no match for her nimble arms splashing him. "I didn't think you were this good!" he laughed. Judy kept splashing him with no mercy.

"Apparently I am this good!" Judy said eagerly, continuing her attack. Nick smirked and dove underwater, quickly swimming to get behind her. "Nick, where did you go?" she asked, looking around for the fox after the splashing stopped.

Nick immediately sprung up from the water behind her. "RAH!" he screamed, gently shaking her once. Judy shrieked and turned around, seeing Nick laughing, which gave her an opportunity to completely drown him in a fury of splashes. Nick coughed as some water got into his mouth. Judy laughed at this, and smirked.

"Ha! I beat you at your own tricks, you dumb fox!" she laughed, splashing him again to taunt him. After a few more coughs, Nick could speak again.

"You sly bunny, you! I almost had you!" he laughed, coughing up more water again. Judy smirked and rubbed the fox's head gingerly.

"I know how to fight back you know," she smiled. Nick blushed a little and smiled as well.

"Well, that was quite fun anyway, Carrots," he said, wiping his eyes of any water.

They continued to swim in the lake for hours on end, enjoying the scenery and enjoying the company of each other. They fiddled around on the beach building intricate sand castles and then destroying each others. Then they would go back out and swim some more. The possibilities were endless with these two.

When they came back in after having another splash fight, which Nick lost yet again, he spoke to Judy. "Well, I'm a little beat. Wanna grab some lunch and do some other things?"

"Sure, I'm starving," Judy replied, as she began to dry off with her towel. After a brief moment of drying off, they ran up the steep hill to get back to the tent. "So what's for lunch?" she then said, watching Nick rummage through the cooler and pulling out bread and cheese, along with a campfire grill.

"Does grilled cheese sound good to you?" Nick asked as Judy nodded happily.

"I love grilled cheese!" she said in delight, helping Nick set everything up to cook the sandwiches. Nick prepared four sandwiches, two for the each of them. After putting a hearty amount of cheese on each sandwich, he got the campfire going, and put the sandwiches on the grill plate.

Judy's nose twitched in delight smelling the cheesy goodness that was being cooked right in front of her. "You are quite an amazing cook, Nick," she smiled, winking at Nick. He also smiled, and flipped the sandwiches, revealing a perfectly golden brown side on all four.

"Learning how to cook takes a ton of trial and error, Carrots. First time I made a cake for my mother, I accidentally used salt in place of sugar," Nick blushed as Judy laughed, rolling on the floor. This made Nick's blush heavier, but he continued cooking until the sandwiches were complete. He put two sandwiches on Judy's plate, and the last two his.

Judy went to take a bite of her sandwich, but immediately tore her mouth off the sandwich upon touching it. "Ow! That's hot!" she whimpered, her tongue moving around in discomfort. Nick smirked.

"Of course it is, I just took it off the heat, fluff," he chuckled, cutting his two sandwiches into halves. He then took two paper cups out of the cooler, and poured a pitcher of mulberry juice into one, handing it to Judy. Pouring himself a glass, he then held it up to hers. "Cheers to look forward to a fine day of hanging out together?" he said, smiling. Judy gave a warm smile.

"Cheers," she answered, and they clinked their cups together, before downing the entire glass of their juice. Judy's tail wiggled in delight from the taste of the juice. She then took another bite of her sandwich, and it was not blazing hot anymore. "Nick, this is so delicious!" she said, her mouth full. Nick smiled and began eating his sandwich.

"I thank you for admiring my cooking," Nick said, devouring the cheesy sandwiches before him, Judy giggled and did the same, but a bit slower.

"So what shall we do after we finish these sandwiches?" Judy asked curiously.

"Well, I'm going to change into something more comfortable, but I was thinking of taking a hike up to the flower beds I mentioned," Nick said, hoping Judy would be on board. "Besides, there is a pretty nice view on the way."

"What about the beds we saw on the way here? Wouldn't those ones be closer and easier to get to?" she asked curiously.

"Those beds are nothing compared to the ones I'm talking about," argued Nick peacefully. "I figured we'd finish the camping trip with a bang, you know!"

Judy seemed to contemplate whether or not to go to the closer flower beds or the other ones. "Oh, alright! Because we may never get the chance to come back again." She took two swift bites of her last grilled cheese, devouring the sandwich down.

"Yes!" Nick hissed under his breath. "Well, I'll go get changed over, unless you'd like to go first?"

She shook her head. "You go ahead. I'll wait for you."

"Okay," Nick shrugged, as he entered the tent and closed it behind him.

The fox quickly changed over to the clothes he wore earlier that morning. But he topped it off with a navy blue ZPD hat. Nick grabbed his hiking pack and loaded a few items inside. Within another minute, he was outside of the tent, waiting for Judy to get dressed.

She seemed to take a little longer, which didn't bother Nick at all. It only gave him extra time to think about his true plans. He wanted it to turn out perfect, but the thought of failure lingered at the back of his mind.

As Nick continued to think, Judy came out of the tent with her hiking pack as well. She was wearing the same outfit from earlier as well. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yep," Nick said enthusiastically. "Let's hit the trail."

He led her on a trail that ran beside the lake before it turned up the mountain and into the trees. The towering oak trees made them feel small and the sun barely shined through the canopy high above. It didn't take long before they found the view Nick was talking about.

The view sat on the edge of a cliff, a few hundred feet above the tree line. You could see the blue lake below and the pair could barely make out there campsite.

"Wow!" Judy breathed. "You weren't kidding. This view is spectacular."

"I told you," Nick chuckled. "And if you turn around and run just over that hill, you'll see the flower beds. Wanna race there?"

"Of course, Nick! Let's go!" she said, darting off towards the direction of the flower beds, with Nick right behind her.

"Carrots, wait up!" he laughed, catching up to Judy. She smirked, grabbing his paw and running towards the flowerbeds, laughing. Nick blushed at this, but laughed along with her.

When they got to the flowerbeds, they both circled around each other in joy and silliness, smiling as they danced around the flowerbeds. "What's our plan in this, Nick?" Judy asked, smiling. Nick looked at her and gave a wry smile.

"I feel really happy dancing around here with you," he answered, spinning Judy around and jumping up and down through the flowerbeds. Judy continued her dancing until they both fell down into the flowerbeds, roses, petunias, tulips, and dandelions springing up into the air like an explosion of friendship and love.

As they laid down, Nick blushed and reached for Judy's paw next to him, holding it firmly as Judy's eyes widened. She stared down at their intertwined fingers, and smiled wide with a blush on her face. She scooted closer to Nick, holding him close to her. Nick sighed in content, his tail wagging in happiness.

"This feels so relaxing," he said, holding the rabbit closer to her. Judy's ears perked up in delight.

"It does, Nick," Judy answered, nuzzling her head into the fox's soft fur. "Your fur is really soft and cuddly," she smirked. Nick smiled wide, and felt immense delight and happiness. He never been this close to the rabbit he loved. His concerns about interspecies seemed to be clouded and covered with this new feeling he had never experienced before.

They were there for hours on end, just holding each other close, and having quite a fun time staying close to each other on those flowerbeds. It was past evening and they were still there. Nick felt it was the perfect time to confess his love, seeing how relaxed they were together. Many feelings of love, kindness, compassion, and delight filled his mind.

Those feelings however were interrupted as it then began to rain heavily, threatening to turn into a downpour of thunder and water. Nick shuddered from the cold water droplets touching him as Judy did too.

"Nick! What should we do?" she shouted, springing up to her feet. Nick slowly got up, covering them both with his jacket. Looking at Judy shivering, he gave her his jacket, leaving him shirtless.

"Just run to the tent, let's go!" he replied with a shout as they both took off, dashing towards the tent. As they got closer and closer, the thunder strikes got louder and louder, like as if it was chasing them. They both jumped in fear at the much louder thunder strikes, running faster.

Upon reaching the tent, they dove inside, quickly zipping the door shut behind them. Heavy panting from both followed, Judy taking off Nick's jacket while Nick dried his wet fur and body off, along with Judy's. Judy's fur on her head stood up from him drying it, and he chuckled.

"Can you fix it?" Judy asked, looking at her messy look. Nick smiled and licked his paw before rubbing down the stood up fur, and it was fixed. "Thanks," she smiled, hugging Nick, but letting go when she realized he had no shirt on. "Oops, sorry!" she said gingerly.

"No, it's fine," he said as he got another shirt on. He went back over to Judy as he shuddered again. He felt as if now would be the perfect time to confess his love. The pouring rain and roaring thunder would prevent Judy from running away, and would give him the answer he wants; if she loves him back or not.

"J-J-Judy?" Nick managed to get out, his paw quivering. Judy turned her head, drying off her paws.

"Yes, Nick? What do you need?" she asked as Nick took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Judy, I-I-I n-n-need to t-tell you s-s-something," he kept trembling, which caused Judy to get closer to him.

"What is it, Nick?" she then asked. She sensed that something was up, but did not know what it was. Nick wiped his forehead before he opened his eyes.

"W-W-Well, e-ever s-s-s-since w-we've became Z-Z-ZPD officers…" Nick stopped, cursing to himself. "N-no, that's not right, w-what I'm t-trying to s-s-say i-is…" he stopped again. Judy's concern was growing, she put her paw on Nick's.

"Just finish what you're saying, I will not judge you," she smiled, knowing that what she suspected all along ever since the nighthowlers case, it was coming true.

"I-I-I r-really l-like… OK, you know what, screw it," Nick immediately grabbed Judy's face, putting both paws on her cheeks, and pulled her into an awkward first kiss, their noses colliding with each other, and their different muzzle lengths making it even more awkward. Judy's eyes immediately widened in shock. After a couple seconds, Nick pulled away quickly, eyes wide, face full of blush, look of fear, happiness, and uncertainty all at the same time. Judy immediately slapped Nick with her paw, hitting him right on his cheek. Nick recoiled back in pain, holding his cheek. Nick looked at Judy, who was fuming a little, and frowned.

"Nick Wilde! Don't you dare kiss me without asking me first!" she furiously shouted, staring at Nick with a glare. Nick closed his eyes and looked away painfully, feeling dejected.

"I'm really sorry… I just thought, since things were going so well and everything was so perfect, that-" Nick never finished his sentence, for a pair of rabbit lips crashed onto his lips. His eyes widened and saw Judy kissing him. He held her closer to his body and tilted his head slightly to find a better angle to kiss. When he found it, he kept his lips pressed to hers for 10 more seconds before they both pulled away, blushing heavily as they looked at each other, smiling.

Nick was in complete shock and happiness, smiling wide at what just happened. He then hugged the rabbit close to him. "Oh… my… gosh… that was amazing…" was all he could say, Judy laughed, playfully punching Nick on the shoulder.

"It quite was, Nick," she grinned.

"So… does this mean we're a couple now?" Nick asked, slightly anxious. Judy's eyes widened a little, looking back at him. She thought to herself for quite some time.

"I don't know, Nick. It depends… do you want to be my boyfriend?" she asked with a grin. Nick pondered this. He was so focused on the fear being rejected because they're prey and predator, that he didn't focus on what he would do if they were actually a couple. Thinking back to Justin's advice, he began to make a decision.

"I would love to be your boyfriend, Judy," his smile was wider than Judy ever saw. "If prey and predator do live in harmony, I would like to show that we do too," he hugged Judy very tightly in his arms. Judy smiled even wider, hugging the fox back, and kissed the fox on the cheek. Nick blushed. "I thought we needed to ask before we can kiss each other?" he then asked as Judy laughed, and then looked sweetly into his emerald eyes with her violet ones.

"Nick, now that we are a couple, we don't need to ask when we can kiss each other," she smiled, but when Nick went to kiss her again, she held her paw up. "Just, we need to talk about a few ground rules we should have first a couple, OK?" she said sweetly. Nick leaned back from Judy and nodded.

"Sure, fluff. What rules do you think we should have?" Nick asked. Judy thought to herself for a moment.

"OK, Nick. Rule number one, we shall not kiss in public places, or display any public affection. A quick peck on the lips or cheek would be acceptable though, OK?" Judy replied as Nick nodded his head.

"Sounds good. I don't want the media to make a drama fest out of our relationship," he smiled as Judy chuckled.

"Alright, rule number two, do not let our relationship interfere with our positions as ZPD Officers," she then said, glaring at Nick. Nick thought to himself for a moment. He sure did know what could possibly happen if their relationship got in the way of doing their job.

"I wholeheartedly understand, Carrots. I would not want to get yelled at by Bogo," Nick laughed, earning a giggle from Judy, who then got back on her serious tone.

"Rule number 3, please respect when I say no, and I will do the same for you," she said in a stern tone as Nick's eyes widened in concern.

"Of course I will, dear! I would never violate you in any way!" Nick said, giving a small grin. Judy blushed, hugging him for a couple seconds.

"Thank you. And finally, rule number 4, I am allowed to call you whatever I want," Judy laughed, giving Nick a small tickle on his side. He laughed for about a second before he stopped.

"These sound like great rules, fluff! I will follow them until the day I die, you sly bunny!" he made a sloppy salute, which made Judy fall into a fit of giggles. Nick went over to her and gave her a huge hug. "Thank you, thank you so much for making this trip wonderful," he said sweetly, smiling wide as Judy rubbed his head in a loving manner.

"No, Nick. Thank you for making my dream come true… to be with you," she smiled, hugging him tighter. They held this position for a few minutes before Judy went to get changed into her nightgown while Nick put on some light shorts and t-shirt to prepare for bed.

As Nick got under his blanket and laid his head on his cold pillow, he thought of something. "Judy?" he called out as he saw Judy turn her head towards him.

"Yes, Nick?" she answered.

"Would you like me to keep you warm for the night?" he asked nervously, , twitching his nose. Judy smiled and got out of her sleeping bag.

"I would love to, Nick. I feel really cold since all that rain fell down," she chuckled sweetly, getting under the covers with the fox. Nick turned onto his side, and hugged Judy to his chest, his tail wagging in happiness. Judy smiled wide and hummed in relaxation as she also hugged the fox's long and bushy tail to her.

"Judy, you love my tail too?" he smirked, laughing as Judy nodded.

"I do, Nick," she smiled wide.

"I love you, Judy," Nick said, hugging her closer to him, purring. Judy smiled and snuggled into the fox more.

"I love you too, Nick," she said, and with a kiss to the forehead from Nick, they were both asleep in a peaceful slumber, and went on into their dreams, the stars glistening in the night.


End file.
